Investigators used DNA evidence to identify the remains of a Winston-Salem man who was reported missing nearly 34 years ago, authorities said Monday.
On July 24, 1986, Dwight Michael Gordon’s family reported him missing to the Winston-Salem Police Department, police said in a statement. Gordon was 37 and had been living on Washington Avenue.
Category Archives: Forensic Industry News
He went missing decades ago. DNA helped police ID the body of Dwight Michael Gordon last month.
NIST Adds New ‘Fingerprints’ to Chemical Identification Database
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its database of chemical fingerprints, called mass spectra, that are used to identify unknown chemical compounds. The NIST Mass Spectral Library and its new version, called NIST20, is used in health care, drug discovery, foods and fragrances, oil and natural gas, environmental protection, forensic science and almost every other industry that manufactures or measures physical stuff.
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Posted in Database, Forensic Industry News
Important Update- ISHI 31 will be a virtual event
The health and safety of our ISHI attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority. Although we would love to gather together this fall in San Antonio, the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes it impossible for us to guarantee a safe and satisfactory experience for attendees. We have determined that restrictions on travel, occupancy limits at the venue and masking requirements would negatively impact an in-person ISHI 31.
We recognize that hearing updates on forensic science is still of vital interest to the community. We are also aware that the pandemic is adversely affecting budgets for forensic labs. In order to support the educational needs of the forensic community, the ISHI virtual experience will be offered at a nominal price to make the symposium accessible to the largest audience possible.
To address questions you may have, we have updated our Frequently Asked Questions page. Please contact Sharon Zelanka with any additional questions. While we’re disappointed that we won’t be together in San Antonio this fall, we can’t wait to connect with you online!
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Posted in Forensic Industry News
Face mask DNA leads to arrest of accused rapist in California
KING CITY, Calif. (KSBW) – DNA evidence recovered from a face mask led to the arrest of a suspected rapist in California.
It all unfolded when the suspect was asked to come to the King City Police Department to be questioned regarding an unrelated crime. That’s when investigators used fancy detective work to get a sample of his DNA.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News
Six more victims of plane crash identified through DNA tests
KARACHI: Remains of six more victims of the Pakistan International Airlines plane crash tragedy were identified through DNA tests at a Karachi University (KU) laboratory on Thursday.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News, Mass Disaster
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office solves 1970 rape and murder case
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said DNA evidence has identified a man who died in 2019 as the person who likely raped and murdered a 23-year-old Denver woman in 1970.
According to a release, Betty Lee Jones was found dead on March 9, 1970, by two Colorado Department of Transportation workers down an embankment on Colo. 128 near the Boulder and Jefferson county border.
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Posted in Ancestry, Cold Cases, Familial, Forensic Industry News
New DNA evidence in 20-year-old murder
New DNA results in a 20-year-old cold case in Kihei puts the defendant at the scene of the alleged murder, police said Thursday.
The Maui Police Criminal Investigation Division was informed this month that DNA recovered from blood samples found at the crime scene belong to defendant Anthony Moreno, who was charged with second-degree murder in an indictment returned in November by a Maui County grand jury.
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Posted in Cold Cases, Forensic Industry News
Facial recognition helps reunite kidnapped toddler with family after 32 years
(CNN)A man who was abducted as a toddler 32 years ago was finally reunited with his biological family Monday, with the help of facial recognition technology.
Mao Yin was taken from his parents in 1988 when he was two years old while outside of a hotel in the Chinese city of Xi’an, in Shaanxi province. He was then sold to a childless couple in the neighboring Sichuan province, according to Chinese state-broadcaster CCTV.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News, Missing Persons
Forensic Genomics launching fall 2020
New Rochelle, NY, May 13, 2020–Forensic Genomics, a dynamic new peer-reviewed journal, will launch its preview issue at the annual International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI) in September 2020.
Forensic Genomics elucidates modern advances in genetic testing, genome sequencing, and analysis which are enabling investigators to break through previously impenetrable barriers in forensic testing and enable advances in live and cold case investigations.
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Posted in DNA Education, DNA Research, Forensic Industry News
Johnny Lee Gates Free 43 Years After He Claimed Innocence
Johnny Lee Gates’ 43 year saga in the criminal justice system is over.
Gates was convicted of killing a 19 year old woman in 1976 but claimed he was wrongfully convicted. His defense waged years of legal battles over evidence, racial prejudice and the defendant’s mental competency before the case reached a conclusion Friday afternoon.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News, Innocence Project
The Justice Files: New DNA lab ready to help solve cold cases
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Utah) – The logjam to solve cold cases just got a boost from a non-profit group.
Intermountain Forensics opened its doors this month and promises to deliver DNA testing faster and cheaper.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News
Two New Forensic DNA Standards Added to the OSAC Registry
National forensic science organization approves standards for interpreting DNA mixtures.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News
New program in Houston is training future forensic scientists and digitizing DNA evidence
Houston-area’s first-privately held forensic sequencing laboratory has partnered with The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to create an academic program that will provide forensic training to genome scientists that will help them crack previously unsolved criminal cases.
Idaho State Police Forensic Services Recognized As One Of The Top-Performing Forensic Labs
(Meridian) The Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratory is one of 14 labs worldwide to receive a FORESIGHT Maximus Award, awarded earlier this week. The designation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), uses standard business metrics to measure the efficiency level demonstrated by the laboratories. To be considered for the award, laboratories must demonstrate a minimum of 90% or better peak efficiency.
Convicted serial killer known as the ‘Grim Sleeper’ found dead in prison cell
(CNN)A convicted serial killer, who murdered and preyed on women in California over a span of three decades, died over the weekend at San Quentin State Prison.
Lonnie Franklin, known as the “Grim Sleeper,” was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday night, according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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Posted in Forensic Industry News