I met Erin Wimpy and Robert Price at CrimeCon. Their sessions about digital forensics were informative and interactive. Digital Forensics On television, everything looks so simple. However, digital forensics is a discipline. It requires a unique combination of skill and care to conduct a successful investigation. The presentation Erin and Robert made allowed participants to […]
Forensics
Kylie Maybury: DNA evidence
The case of Kylie Maybury is finally making progress: DNA confirmed that the semen found in this six-year-old little girl belongs to Gregory Keith Davies. Kylie Maria Antonia Maybury (October 24, 1978 – Nov 6, 1984) died of asphyxiation/suffocation (depriving of oxygen by obstructing the airways for example by choking or by pushing a pillow over […]
Suspect composite in case of Michelle Martinko
The Cedar Rapids Police Department can now show the public the suspect composite in the cold case of Michelle Martinko (18) who was murdered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Dec. 19, 1979. Michelle Martinko was found dead around 4am on Dec. 20, 1979. She was repeatedly stabbed most notably in her face and chest. Police […]
Elodie Kulik and familial DNA
In the night from January 10 to 11, 2002, Elodie Kulik (24) was murdered. She was kidnapped and raped. Her body was set on fire. Her remains were left in a farmer’s field. Her attacker(s) tried to burn anything that could identify them but they didn’t succeed. The authorities found Elodie’s red Peugeot less than a mile […]
The cold case of Bernard Oliver (1950 – Jan 1967)
The Bernard Oliver case is known as the Tattingstone Suitcase Murder. Suffolk Police is reaching out again to the public for help. No one was ever charged for this murder. Bernard went missing January 6, 1967. He had not come home from an evening out with friends. His dad reported him missing the next day. […]
Phenotyping and Cold Cases
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Tom Shaw. He is an IAI Certified Forensic Artist & Snapshot Account Specialist at Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, Virginia. We started talking about phenotyping and how that could advance the investigations in cold cases. There are cases that grow cold because there is no DNA match […]
Adam Gray denied new trial
From the Chicago Tribune: “Judge Angela Petrone remained unconvinced that lawyers for Adam Gray had produced enough evidence for a jury to acquit him at a new trial.” Adam Gray’s file was examined by arson experts John Lentini and Gerald Hurst. “At trial, prosecutors focused on two elements — the evidence that the fire had […]
M-Vac secures conviction in Krystal Beslanowitch case
The M-Vac System has secured a conviction in the 1995 cold case of Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch. From KSL: “After about four hours of deliberation, jurors found Joseph Michael Simpson, 49, guilty of aggravated murder Thursday in the 1995 death of Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch. The teenager who had been living in Salt Lake City was found […]
Jury selection in Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch case
Jury selection has started in the 1995 Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch murder case. Krystal’s nude body was found lying face down on the rocky bank of the Provo River, Utah. She was just 17 years old. Aside from fingernail scrapings, parts of the large, granite rocks were saved as evidence. How important was it to save those rocks? Crucial. M-Vac […]
Opening up the Valerie Percy files
From the Chicago Tribune: Last “Wednesday, a Cook County judge ordered Kenilworth officials to hand over some of the paperwork so she can determine whether the voluminous case file should be allowed to remain under wraps as the murder mystery enters its sixth decade.” Authorities now have a seven-day deadline to explain why they fear […]