Defrosting Cold Cases

For nearly two years, the DNA samples connecting Ronald Brown to the rape of a teenage girl sat in the state police forensic laboratory while the convicted murderer roamed the streets of New Haven, CT, USA. Brown had been released from prison in November 2006 — but not before giving authorities a DNA sample that [...]

There is a thought that make you wonder…if DNA plays such a huge role in criminal court, why is it that there is no federal oversight? “Take the series of questionable drug and alcohol tests that cropped up in North County criminal cases in recent months. Hundreds of toxicology tests done by a private lab, [...]

DNA evidence being stored by the Colorado Springs Police Department has been jeopardized by a faulty refrigerator, although police spokesman Lt. David Whitlock said experts don’t believe it will endanger any criminal cases. The refrigeration malfunction follows last month’s admission that the Colorado Springs police crime lab had erred on dozens of blood-alcohol tests in drunken [...]

BBC Magazine has a good article on another use of DNA and that is, identifying the remains of World War I soldiers found in mass graves in France. “The remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers had lain undiscovered for 93 years since falling on the Western Front.Boots, purses, toothbrushes and other personal artifacts lay [...]

For those interested in the Texas Forensic Science Commission, check out the meeting notes and information at this blog: Grits for Breakfast, a blog that looks at the Texas Criminal Justice System, with a little politics and whatever else suits the author’s fancy thrown in. The meeting’s agenda can be found here and as you can [...]

Police are following a new tip in the case of Teekah Lewis, the 2-year-old girl who disappeared more than a decade ago. The girl vanished while she was with her family at the now-defunct New Frontier Lanes in Tacoma on Jan. 23, 1999. Hundreds of people over the years have been interviewed with no arrests. [...]

Past Wednesday, defense attorney Kathleen Cannon accused Vista-based prosecutors of repeatedly withholding evidence that could favor accused criminals, an action that could potentially jeopardize a defendant’s right to a fair trial. Cannon argued to Superior Court Judge Harry Elias that there has been “a continuing pattern of failure” by prosecutors to supply evidence that could be important to [...]

NEC Corporation announced that its face recognition technologies ranked number one in the Still-Face Dataset of the Multiple Biometric Grand Challenge (MBGC, (1)) carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), commissioned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NEC’s face recognition technology has solidified an industry-leading position by attaining this first place ranking [...]

The Greater Manchester Police Department needs your help. On Friday, March 6, 2009, Mike Silcock, a serving Greater Manchester Police Officer, was killed. Mike was off duty when he was deliberately mown down on Didsbury Road (A5145), Heaton Mersey, shortly after 11.30pm. He was taken to Stepping Hill hospital with a serious head injury, but [...]

BBC Crimewatch has information to show how the Nottinghamshire Police solved the first ever Crimewatch appeal that was broadcast in June 1984: the rape and murder of Nottinghamshire teenager Colette Aram. You can see a video clip here as well as forensic evidence and analysis, including a taunting letter he wrote to the police bragging about the crime [...]