Monthly Archives: October 2014

Nancy Rodriguez, a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, part of the College of Public Programs at Arizona State University, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to be the next director of the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice.

The American Society of Crime Lab Directors, along with RTI, are pleased to announce a webinar series designed to investigate the validation, current use, and future implementation of Rapid DNA.
This three-part series will begin on November 6th and conclude on December 9th.
The first webinar titled “Rapid DNA, the QAS and NDIS” will be presented by Jennifer Wendel, Chief of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Unit.

FAIRFIELD, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — DNA Diagnostics Forensics, a Division of DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC), the world’s largest paternity testing company, was honored at Ohio Innocence Project’s (OIP) tenth Anniversary Gala, celebrating freedom for those exonerated, and the organizations that have contributed to the effort

The federal government has introduced legislation that would help police identify human remains and solve missing persons cases through the creation of a DNA-based national Missing Persons Index.

The U.S. Department of Justice along with the Department of Defense has awarded Catherine Grgicak, PhD, assistant professor in biomedical forensic sciences at Boston University School of Medicine, approximately $2.5 million to more accurately analyze DNA evidence at a crime scene.
Grgicak, along with colleagues from Rutgers University-Camden and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are working to develop algorithmic methods and models to aid in complex DNA mixture interpretation, including identifying the number of possible contributors in an evidence sample and determining the strength of a DNA match.

HENRICO COUNTY, Va., Oct. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Richmond, Virginia laboratory GENETWORx has added human identity testing services to its offerings, including forensic, paternity and relationship testing. The new division will provide human DNA identification; biological relationship analysis; cold case review; consultation; expert witness testimony; laboratory design; training; and validation services.

Victims of violent crimes and the officers who investigate sometimes are left waiting for answers due to the backlog of cases in the state’s forensics laboratories.
The Virginia Department of Forensic Science has four laboratories and a plethora of staff and equipment to analyze minute properties in evidence, from strands of DNA to the chemical makeup of methamphetamine.

Human remains found during the search for missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham have been identified as those of the 18-year-old, officials said Friday.

The FBI is conducting DNA tests to determine if the man charged in the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham was linked to Alexis Murphy’s murder last year, according to Angela Taylor, Murphy’s aunt.

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence will be hosting a free two-day online seminar on The Science, Law and Politics of Cold Case Investigations on October 30-31 in order to answer critical questions about cold cases and what it takes to resolve them.