Category Archives: criminal justice

Forensics: #NamUS needs this data for 23,000 Missing Persons cases. National DNA backlog delays closure in missing person cases.

There is a multi-year backlog for getting DNA profiles onto the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. — Read on http://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/dna-namus-backlog-missing-person-cases/51-e8436a8b-14cb-441c-b416-596c10fffdc6

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Forensics: Looking to speedup “overworked”coroners. Ignores investigative failures. Controversial coroner cremation bill sails through House committee – Louisiana Illuminator

A bill that would allow coroners to cremate bodies despite suspicious circumstances sailed through the end of a House committee Thursday. — Read on lailluminator.com/2023/05/25/controversial-coroner-cremation-bill-sails-through-house-committee/

Posted in AAFS, Bad Forensic Science, criminal justice, forensic pathology, Forensic Science, forensic science misconduct, junk forensic science, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Forensics: Fewer than 1% of defendants in federal criminal cases were acquitted in 2022

In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted. — Read on http://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/14/fewer-than-1-of-defendants-in-federal-criminal-cases-were-acquitted-in-2022/

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Forensics: After decades of arguing DC Council Votes To Keep Crime Lab Out Of MPD Hands

The vote rejects a proposal from Mayor Muriel Bowser, which would have moved crime scene science duties under the D.C. police department. — Read on dcist.com/story/23/06/13/dc-council-maintains-crime-lab-independence/

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Forensics: Florida man Donald Santini arrested in 40 year old cold case

Donald Michael Santini was arrested on Wednesday June 7, in the 1984 killing of Cynthia Ruth, a 33-year-old woman found strangled in Hillsborough County Florida. — Read on nypost.com/2023/06/11/florida-man-donald-santini-arrested-in-decades-old-cold-case/

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Anthropology at work. Forensic tools restore identity to the unknown dead. – YouTube

Forensic scientists from NC State have teamed up with state investigators in the hope of identifying skeletal remains and restoring the identities of unknown individuals in North Carolina. After studying the bones and creating biological profiles, they turn to DNA … Continue reading

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Forensics: Australia needs a dedicated body for wrongful convictions

Professor David Hamer and Dr Andrew Dyer from Sydney Law School explain why Kathleen Folbigg’s pardon points to the need for a Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in Australia. — Read on http://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/06/06/australia-needs-a-dedicated-body-for-wrongful-convictions.html

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Forensics: Persistence of Touch DNA for Analysis | National Institute of Justice

Since the first use of DNA evidence in a criminal case in 1986 [1], forensic scientists have considered biological material (such as hair, skin, and bodily fluids) to be relatively reliable physical evidence.   Straight from the Researcher’s Mouth Listen … Continue reading

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Tulsa Massacre Progress: Forensic Scientists, Genealogists Make Progress In 1921 Graves Investigation

Forensic Scientists, Genealogists Make Progress In 1921 Graves Investigation — Read on http://www.news9.com/story/6477b8362214290b79509aff/forensic-scientists-genealogists-make-progress-in-1921-graves-investigation

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Forensics: #NamUS case. Genetic testing costs $7500. Medical Examiner fundraising to identify remains from decades-long Gwinnett County cold case

Medical Examiner fundraising to identify remains from decades-long Gwinnett County cold case – WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta — Read on http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/gwinnett-county/coroner-raising-funds-identify-remains-john-doe-decades-long-cold-case-gwinnett-county/N6XO4LK4AZAHRAWD2SREJC4FZ4/

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