Today’s CCLiveChat centered on postmortem toxicology and pharmacokinetics. Neither topic can be discussed within the hour but we got some good questions in for Peter Mullen! In general, pharmacokinetics is understanding the “time-course” of a substance in the body or, how fast does it travel through the body? All depends of course on what was taken and in […]
Autopsy
Forsenic anthropologists crack historic cases
Forensic anthropologists at Texas State University are helping to solve four unusual cold cases, for the television series “The Decrypters” that will air on the National Geographic Channel beginning March 29, 2012. “The series will tie the investigative methods used by forensic anthropologists to sweeping events in American history,” said Michelle Hamilton, who with Kate […]
Trayvon Martin: interesting questions
Last night I was making my rounds around the blogs. I stopped by Norm’s. Norm Pattis always makes me think. Last night, Norm made me mad. You see, I had not seen the article he pointed out. In his blog post “Why Florida v. Zimmerman is necessary” he discussed an article concerning the shooting of Trayvon […]
Update Robert Henderson
Robert Henderson visited the University of Hawaii in the summer of ’96. Five days later his naked body would be discovered at the Ilikai Hotel. Fourteen years later Jason Lee McCormick came forward to say he did it. “Everyone agrees to the facts. There is no question in the government’s mind, or my mind, as to what happened. The question […]
Verdict in the Combs and Ellis murder trial
A verdict has been reached in the Combs and Ellis trial. Edward Jesus Elias and Leopoldo Castro Chavez II were accused of robbing and fatally shooting Combs and Ellis, two San Diego-based sailors. Though detectives who documented the murder scene recovered fingerprints and genetic evidence apparently belonging to the killer(s), the original investigation yielded no […]
The Kish Report
The Kish Report : the request for further DNA testing in the case of William Thomas Zeigler was denied by Judge Whitehead March 12, 2012. The hearing for that request took place last Dec 1, 2011, see here. Judge Whitehead had previously ruled that Zeigler should receive state-funding for a blood spatter expert to testify whether […]
Prep for #cclivechat March 30, 2012 with Peter Mullen
We have a very special #cclivechat this coming Friday. Peter Mullen will be our guest. Peter will discuss postmortem toxicology and pharmacokinetics with us. Peter was a tenured member of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Manchester prior to establishing Kemic Bio-research. He wrote down a few introductory statements to set the scene for […]
New pictures from Teresa Sue Hilt
These photographs are courtesy of Teresa‘s mom who hopes that one day we will have answers. Please visit the memorial page for Teresa Sue Hilt on Facebook maintained by a friend. It is filled with memories from old friends and pieces of newspaper clippings. “Tess” was found on August 4, 1973, face down on her bed under […]
The 1973 cold case of Teresa Sue Hilt
This is what came in after today’s #cclivechat. Let’s see if we can collect more newspaper articles and shed a light on Teresa Sue Hilt’s case. Case: Teresa Sue Hilt was found murdered on August 4, 1973. She had been beaten, raped, stabbed, and strangled to death. Her remains were found in her off campus […]
Trial for Keith Combs and Eugene Ellis
The long awaited trial in the cases of Keith Combs and Eugene Ellis has started. “Edward Jesus Elias and Leopoldo Castro Chavez II, both 36, are each charged with two counts of murder in the Sept. 25, 1993, deaths of 20-year-old Eugene “Cliff” Ellis and 23-year-old Keith Combs. The victims were stationed aboard the aircraft […]
#CCLiveChat recap March 9, 2012
So good to be back online with CCLiveChat! Again, the hour moved fast and our friends on their mobiles had quite a struggle to keep up. But that does not matter. I am very glad they were all there. We discussed some DCC news and the “no progress” in the Zeigler case to move over […]
Recap #cclivechat Feb 17, 2012
This recap of CCLiveChat is courtesy of Sue Carney. Today saw a massive turnout of cold case live chat stalwarts, old and new, for a regular-style cold case brainstorming session. Sadly, just as chat began, Alice got the tragic news of the death of her friend Phillip Finch, staunch supporter in the Zeigler case. As Alice […]
Reversal Juan Rivera Conviction
From the New York Times: “In an opinion that harshly criticizes the tactics of the police and prosecutors, an Illinois appellate court on Friday night reversed the conviction of Juan Rivera, who has spent 19 years in jail for the 1992 rape and murder of an 11-year-old baby sitter in a suburb of Chicago. There […]
Guest Post: “In loving memory: Raymond Nelson”
Losing a parent is a devastating experience. The loss of her father, Raymond Nelson, to senseless violence has left its mark on Rebecca. Her father, Raymond Nels Nelson, was not without flaw. However, everyone you asked had a positive first impression from Raymond Nelson. Rebecca has chosen to share her thoughts about her father, his […]
Slow Movement Trey Noah Murder Trial
There is no way of knowing when the murder of Trey Noah will finally go to court. Brandon Harber and Shelby Moore were charged with Trey’s murder and will eventually be tried in Gillespie County, TX. However, “an initial confession from Moore was tossed out in a pre-trial hearing. The DA is appealing that decision. That […]
Moira Holly Branagan Alert
The Grand Jury is making progress in the cold case of Moira Holly Branagan. New material have been sent to the labs to be examined for DNA, and a report is expected at the end of the month. Moira “Holly” Branagan (1962 – 1979) was found stabbed 18 times in the back with a 10-inch kitchen […]
Jimmy Stanaway 1966-1990
Jimmy Stanaway 1966-1990. He was born on Dec 5 in 1966 and was killed in Jersey City (NJ) on Feb 2, 1990. Everyone knew his simply as “Jimmy.” This nickname was also his well known signature and is the feature on his headstone. To this day, there are questions in this case that have never been […]
Hina Family Murders trial on hold
From the New Hampshire Sentinel: “The [Hina Family] case — originally slated for trial in August — has been delayed twice and will remain on hold indefinitely while the N.H. Supreme Court considers whether to hear an appeal from the N.H. Attorney General’s Office of a pre-trial ruling by Judge Marguerite L. Wageling, who is presiding […]
Book alert: Cold Case Research
Book alert: Cold Case Research. In 2012 “Cold Case Research” will come out. The author is Silvia Pettem and this is how she describes her book: “Cold Case Research: Resources for Unidentified, Missing, and Cold Homicide Cases,” to be published by CRC Press in 2012. Topics include the latest search engine tools such as TLO, the […]
Guest Post: “There are monsters that walk among us”
Guest Post: “There are monsters that walk among us” by Darren Bruce. Darren is a married father of three and has been a police officer for seventeen years. “I am a Detective Sergeant who has taken on various roles and am soon to undertake a change to run a Serious Sexual Offences Investigation Team. Over the years […]