• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About DCC and the writer
  • Guest Writers
  • Testimonials
  • Archives 2009 – present
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

Defrosting Cold Cases

Est. 2009

  • Cold Case Database: Index and Summaries
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
  • Two Research Methods
  • How to search for a case
  • Case of the Month (2014 – 2024)
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Archives for Forensics

Forensics

Retired Cop thinks Lapointe is innocent!

May 2, 2010 By Alice

Richard A. Lapointe

Donald Connery, another long time supporter of Richard Lapointe, wrote an article for the Hartford Courant. It is worth reading especially this part: “… the forthrightness of retired Manchester police captain Joseph Brooks. His detectives lured Lapointe to headquarters on false pretenses on July 4, 1989, and got him to agree that he must be guilty. […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Miscarriages of Justice Tagged With: Actual Innocence, Arson Detection, Autopsy, DNA, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Miscarriage of Justice, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Richard A. Lapointe, Unsolved Homicide

McHenry Biggers

April 28, 2010 By Alice

leaning angel

McHenry Biggers suffered a fatal heart attack during a home invasion on October 26, 1986. Allegedly, two men invaded the home he shared with his wife Bessie Mae Biggers in Champaign, Illinois. Mrs. Biggers called 911 at 1:09 am according to the dispatch log. Despite that police and emergency personnel arrived within minutes, Mr. Biggers […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Unsolved Tagged With: Champaign, Drugs, Forensics, Illinois, McHenry Biggers

Update Trial Darrel Kastel

April 27, 2010 By Alice

Julius Schnoll

A pre-trial hearing has been set for next week for Darrell Kastel, the second defendant in the 1979 slaying of supermarket supervisor Julius Schnoll. Darrel Kastel was scheduled to go to trial this Monday, but the prosecution gave additional discovery evidence to the defense attorney and the trial was adjourned. At a hearing today, Kastel was given […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Cold Case News Tagged With: Ballistics, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Gun Fire, Julius Schnoll, Michigan

Crippen continued…

April 21, 2010 By Alice

Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen

I read John Boyne’s book “Crippen” a while ago and posted about it (here). As luck would have it, one of the scientists involved, Dr. John H. Trestrail III , responded to the post and provided me with more details and the link to the PBS Series “Secrets of the Death.” The episode about Dr. Crippen, “Executed […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Miscarriages of Justice Tagged With: Book Reviews, Forensics, Hawley Harvey Crippen, Miscarriage of Justice, UK

Remains Ryan Eugene Guitron found

April 20, 2010 By Alice

Ryan Eugene Guitron

The skeletal remains of Ryan Eugene Guitron from Fort Collins, missing for six years, have been found in rural Kimball County, Neb., and a multi-jurisdictional investigation is under way since last Monday. According to investigators, the remains of 30-year-old Ryan Eugene Guitron were found in a woodpile on an abandoned farmstead. A former roommate of […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Missing Persons Tagged With: Autopsy, Ballistics, Colorado, FBI, Forensics, Missing Person, Ryan Eugene Guitron

Update Hank Skinner Case

April 20, 2010 By Alice

The United States Supreme Court Justices put off a decision in the Hank Skinner case. It is from Texas, a state that executes more prisoners per year than any other state. Hank Skinner made an actual innocence claim, demanding DNA testing on other evidence gathered at the crime scene. The justices had issued a stay just before […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Forensics, Miscarriages of Justice Tagged With: Actual Innocence, Capital Punishment, DNA, Forensics, Henry Skinner, Miscarriage of Justice, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Texas

Update 1984 Cold Case of Elizabeth Heath

April 18, 2010 By Alice

NaMus poster of Elizabeth Heath missing since 1984

Elizabeth Heath, the 30-year-old mother whose skeletal remains were found last Wednesday in a chamber beneath the sub-flooring in a barn, was the victim of a homicide, the state medical examiner announced on Friday. The medical examiner’s office did not release the cause of Heath’s death at the request of prosecutors, who did not want […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Cold Case News, Forensics, Unsolved Tagged With: Autopsy, Connecticut, Crime Labs, Crime Scene, Elizabeth Heath, Evidence, Forensics, Identification, Missing Person, Police, Victim

Missing Woman’s Remains Found 26 Years

April 16, 2010 By Alice

NaMus poster of Elizabeth Heath missing since 1984

The discovery of a femur bone during renovation at a Newtown property led police to a full human skeleton that was positively identified as missing woman Elizabeth Heath on Thursday evening. Dental records on file since Elizabeth Heath went missing in 1984 while she was divorcing her husband John, matched teeth found in a skull […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Cold Case News, Forensics, Missing Persons Tagged With: Autopsy, Connecticut, Dental Records, Elizabeth Heath, Expert Testimony, Forensics, Missing Person

Zeigler, Part VII: The Thompson Report

April 16, 2010 By Alice

William Th. Zeigler with his wife Eunice Edwards-Zeigler

Vicki Harley Holland has a website about Tommy Zeigler. It is called “Prayers for Tommy.” She commented on my previous posting “This post will be written by you.” In it, she refers to “Fatal Flaw” by Phillip Finch, the book I also recommend. In the middle of her website, near the top, you see “Letters […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Zeigler Tagged With: Actual Innocence, Capital Punishment, DNA, Faulty Evidence, Florida, Forensics, Gun Fire, Miscarriage of Justice, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Unsolved Homicide, William Thomas Zeigler, Wrongful Convictions

Gummy Fingers, on sale now!

April 12, 2010 By Alice

Gummy Fingers

LAHORE, PAKISTAN: Fingerprint identification, which was supposed to be the last barrier to stop forgery in NADRA (National Database & Registration Authority) and the Passport Department, is now being rendered useless by the use of ‘gummy fingers’ (artificial fingerprints) with the cooperation of officials. People claim that by paying Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000, anyone could get […]

Thank you for sharing!

  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor

Filed Under: Forensics Tagged With: Faulty Evidence, Finger Printing, Forensics, Identification, Pakistan

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Author Notes

Since 2009, I write about unsolved cases that need renewed media attention. I only do research and leave active investigations to the authorities.

My posts cover homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to unsolved cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme, tone, and research. It is my prerogative to not review a book. Please check the FAQ page for more.

My databases are free to the public. Cases are sorted by the victim’s last name.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the About page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you cannot find the answers there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Top Posts & Pages

  • Gregory McRoberts: hit-and-run victim
  • Runaway Groom by Ron Peterson Jr
  • In memory: Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain
  • Frog Boys: finally an update
  • Deborah Ann Danhaus (Oct 4, 1952 – Aug 1971)  

Categories

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Protected by Copyscape

Copyright © 2026 ·News Pro · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress