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Series: Forensic Case Studies

Just Footwear Impressions on Fabric

November 2023

In Episode eight of our case study season, Just Science sat down with Brian McVicker, a forensic footwear and tire examiner at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to discuss developing shoe and tire impressions on fabric using ninhydrin. When a victim is stomped or run over the transfer of skin cells onto the inside of the victim's clothing can leave an impression of the shoe or tire that was used.

Just Collecting Fingerprints Without Contact

November 2023

In episode seven of our case Study season Just Science sat down with Ross Krewenka product manager IDEMIA and Mike Ransom, automated print manager for the Michigan State Police, to discuss the development and use cases of contactless fingerprint capture technology. Traditionally, ink and paper are used to capture fingerprints from subjects.

Just Facial Recognition for Forensic Investigations

November 2023

On episode six of our case study season. Just Science sat down with Dr. Richard Vorder Bruegge, senior physical scientist at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to discuss how facial recognition technology was used to help identify individuals in photographs and two landmark cases. Many individuals encounter facial recognition technology in their everyday lives, like when they unlock their phones. The same technology can significantly speed up and improve forensic investigations. Listen, along is Dr. Vorder Bruegge describes how pattern based matching is used to compare faces and images.

Just Forensics in the Digital Age

November 2023

In Episode five of our Case Studies season Just Science sat down with Justin Schorr, principal Collision reconstruction engineer, and Tim Primrose, mobile forensic analyst at E.J.S. Associates, Inc., to discuss utilizing digital evidence in real world cases. In the digital age forensic technology has broad applications for investigations from cell phones, social media accounts and car infotainment system data to three dimensional modeling for crime scene reconstruction, technology is becoming a staple in forensics. Listen, as long as Dr.

Just Adding Value Using Voice Identification

October 2023

In episode four of our case study season, Just Science sat down with Josh Yonovitz, expert witness and forensic audio. To discuss the history of utilizing voice identification and investigations and the current state of forensic audio. In the 1960s, voice ID started being used in forensics, but the original voiceprint analysis used was proven to be inaccurate. Nowadays, forensic scientists use a methodology known as oral acoustic speaker identification, which is scientifically accepted but poorly understood.

Just Footwear Forensics to Further Investigations

October 2023

In episode three of our case study season Just Science sat down with Laura Matson an advanced latent print and footwear examiner in the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories to discuss the value of providing footwear investigative leads. Footwear impressions are commonly found in crime scenes. However, these impressions can be difficult to detect and collect, which leads to the under-utilization of footwear evidence.

Just Collecting More Evidence from Cartridge Cases

October 2023

In episode two of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with crime scene technician Brian Turner and Detective Roberto Caceres from the Broward County Sheriff's Office to discuss a new methodology for processing fired cartridge cases. When a cartridge case is recovered from a crime scene, investigators must typically decide whether to swab it for DNA or process it for latent prints.

Just Investigating a No-Body Homicide in Canada

October 2023

In episode one of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Ian Oxton, Forensic Identification Specialist for the Calgary Police Service to discuss a triple homicide case involving the longest lasting Amber Alert in Alberta Canada's history. Operation Amber started as a race against the clock for a missing child, and his grandparents then quickly evolved into a massive search effort on a 40-acre property.

Just Identifying Lake Erie John Doe

December 2022

In the final episode of our 2022 Case Studies: Part 2 mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Thomas Gilson, Dr. Harmeet Kaur, and Hristina Lekova with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office to discuss a puzzling case in which the identity of a decedent from 2014 still remains unknown. Since 2011, it has been uncommon for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office to have a case in which a decedent remains unidentified for an extended period of time.

Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 2

December 2022

In episode two of our Case Studies Part 2: mini season Just Science sat down with Jason Moran, commander of police at the Cook County Sheriff's Office, to discuss how he and his colleagues set out to identify the remaining victims of John Wayne Gacy, decades after their bodies were found. Technological limitations can sometimes make it very challenging to identify decomposed human remains. In the case of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, eight of his 33 victims remained unidentified for more than 30 years.

Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 1

December 2022

In episode two of our Case Studies Part 2: mini season Just Science sat down with Jason Moran, commander of police at the Cook County Sheriff's Office, to discuss how he and his colleagues set out to identify the remaining victims of John Wayne Gacy, decades after their bodies were found. Technological limitations can sometimes make it very challenging to identify decomposed human remains. In the case of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, eight of his 33 victims remained unidentified for more than 30 years.

Just Autopsy Results and Crime Scene Reconstruction

November 2022

In episode one of our Case Studies: Part 2 mini season, Just Science sat down with Kelly Ayers, an International Association for Identification Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst, to discuss how preliminary autopsy results can help investigators piece together a story of what happened at a crime scene. For crime scene investigators, preliminary autopsy results issued by forensic pathologist and medical examiners can be used in conjunction with other disciplines, such as bloodstain pattern analysis, to provide pivotal information about a case.

Just Solving Cold Cases with Forensic Genetic Genealogy

August 2022

In episode four of our Case Studies: Part 1 mini season, Just Science sat down with Leighton D'Antoni, the Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County, Texas, to discuss how forensic genetic genealogy was used as an investigative tool to help solve a series of violent cold cases. In the 1980s, several violent sexual assaults occurred in Dallas County, Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana. These cases were all linked by a foreign DNA profile; however, no suspect was found and the cases went cold.

Just Forensic Archaeology and Body Dump Sites

August 2022

In episode three of our Case Studies Part one mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Sharon Moses, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, to discuss forensic archeology and locating victims of no-body homicides. Forensic archeologists can play a critical role in body recovery and search strategies for locating human remains because homicide offender’s choices and body disposal sites are influenced by various social and environmental factors.

Just Solving a Hit-and-Run in Sin City

August 2022

In episode two of our Case Studies Part 1 mini season Just Science sat down with Stacey Chepren, member of a trial team for prosecuting federal criminal misconduct cases to discuss a fatal pedestrian hit and run involving trace and digital evidence. On a quiet morning in the city limits of Las Vegas, a pedestrian in a well-lit crosswalk was struck by an impaired driver who left the scene. There were no witnesses, but authorities quickly pieced together the case through a vehicle's aftermarket paint job and neighborhood video footage.

Just a Curious Case of Print Persistence

August 2022

In episode one of our Case Studies Part 1 mini season, Just Science sat down with Michael Fagert, a certified latent print examiner at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, to discuss a latent print phenomenon that is not often seen in casework. There are very few instances of identifiable fingerprints on cartridge cases recovered from crime scenes, as the firing process introduces adverse physical and thermal stressors to fingerprint residues.