On February 26, 2013, Anibal Perez was shot multiple times while seated in his parked car, a Honda Accord, around 10pm. He was near 27th Street and Arthur Avenue, Camden, New Jersey. He was transported to Cooper Hospital (Camden). Anibal Perez was pronounced dead at 1024pm. His murder remains unsolved. Three hours before he was […]
The Conviction of Cora Burns by Carolyn Kirby
Carolyn Kirby has a knack for describing in painful detail how hard life was in Victorian London. The atmosphere, violence, and darkness grip you from page one. She details meticulously how poor people were, the humiliations they suffered, and how few privileged men could really call themselves gentlemen. The story takes place in 1885. It […]
Dana Michelle Speights Solomon
Dana Michelle Speights Solomon (May 17, 1985 – Nov 19, 2006) was hit by a small truck around 7pm on November 12, 2006 on Normandy Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida. The driver never stopped. Her case remains unsolved. Dana (21) was flown to UF Health Jacksonville, formerly Shands, and put in a medically induced coma. Her organs […]
Gerard Homer Soules (Aug 3, 1936 – June 4, 1992)
Gerard Homer Soules (Aug 3, 1936 – June 4, 1992) was a famous trapeze artist with Ringling Bros. He performed in the center ring for five years. His last performance was for Queen Elizabeth. His signature move was a forward somersault off the trapeze catching the bar again with his heels. Soules never missed until […]
Barbara Mendez trial update
UPDATE April 30, 2019: Robin Mendez was found guilty. Marathon County Circuit Judge Jill Falstad determined that Mendez did have a motive to kill his wife, explaining that he feared the discovery of his sexual abuse of then minor Jodi (Lesert) Rolloff. Judge Falstad said that the “court finds the two inmates’ information credible.” The […]
Anita Mae Carter Lukander (Oct 21, 1965 – March 18, 1988)
On March 17, 1988 Anita Mae Carter Lukander (22) vanished from her Atlantic Beach home in Florida. Her remains were found ten days later. Her case remains unsolved. Missing When Anita did not report for work, the authorities went to her house. They found her door unlocked and the lights were on. A few days […]
Mary Emsley and Marion Gilchrist
After I finished reading Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, I picked up Caleb Carr’s The Italian Secretary. It is a Holmes & Watson story but told by Carr and he did it very well. All the familiar characters are in there and the story is worth a read. It set off my Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reading […]
Moira “Holly” Branagan murdered 40 years ago
Moira “Holly” Branagan (Dec 8, 1962 – March 28, 1979) was murdered 40 years ago today. In 2014, it looked like the 1979 case was breaking open. However, Det. Thomas Galloway, in charge of the investigation, did not release any information except for this: “I have developed a suspect, but we’re not ready to move […]
Daniel Dougherty: third trial
On March 27, 2019, the third trial started for Daniel Dougherty. In 2000, Daniel Dougherty was found guilty of the 1985 arson that killed his two sons, Danny (4) and Johnny (3). Police arrested Dougherty in 1999 after his estranged wife and mother of the two children claimed he had confessed. A jury found him guilty […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy
Introduction Lately, we have seen numerous cases that were unsolved for decades, where the use of forensic genealogy provided authorities with answers. Checking people’s family trees based on characteristics from the DNA sample on file has given us a string of cases where a suspect has now been identified. The media started to pick up […]