Forensic Genealogy Offers Families the Gift of ClosureThe forensic scientist’s toolbox is growing thanks to creative methods that generate reliable leads, analyze evidence, identify suspects and solve cold casesBY NANCY LA VIGNE
In 1978, a woman’s body was discovered in Northern Nevada, packed in a garment bag and buried in a shallow grave. Law enforcement actively investigated the crime until all leads were exhausted, and eventually the case went cold. However, the woman was not forgotten, and today she is no longer nameless. In this case, and in many others like it, forensic scientists have finally identified the victim in a decades-old investigation. They’re providing fresh leads for beleaguered detectives. And they’re doing it all with a new kind of DNA evidence called forensic genetic genealogy.
This relatively new technique that most famously aided in the 2018 arrest of the “Golden State Killer” is both promising and somewhat controversial. The method follows distinct differences in an individual’s genes to reveal familial relations that are not detectable through traditional DNA matches, which can yield leads for identifying persons even when the case has scant investigative information. But privacy experts worry about law enforcement’s interaction with consumer data. As a result, a technique that has become useful to law enforcement efforts has also experienced backlash.
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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/forensic-genealogy-offers-families-the-gift-of-closure/+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Absolutely mind boggling now that law enforcement have the ability to use websites such as "23 and Me" to go back HUNDREDS OF YEARS to find ancestors who might lead to catching killers from decades ago.
Have been bingeing on
COLD CASE FILES on NETFLIX.
If I were a young person today, it's a field that would draw me in...being able to solve murders/crimes from over 50 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptVse1FUb8I
