Latest search for Tulsa Race Massacre victims comes to end
November 19, 2022 GMTThe latest search for remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has ended with 32 additional caskets discovered and eight sets of remains exhumed, according to the city.
The excavation and exhumations at Tulsa’s Oaklawn Cemetery that began Oct.
Forensic genealogy leads to arrest in 1987 sex assault case
November 17, 2022 GMTPROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — DNA evidence left behind 35 years ago and the use of forensic genealogy has led to the arrest of an Indiana man on charges that he sexually assaulted two Rhode Island girls in 1987, authorities announced Wednesday.
Judge keeps Arizona execution plan on track for Wednesday
November 14, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Plans to execute an Arizona man on Wednesday remain on track after a judge refused to postpone the lethal injection, rejecting a bid to allow fingerprint and DNA testing on evidence from two 1980s killings that led to the inmate's death sentence.
West Virginia State Police receive $285K for Forensic Lab
November 14, 2022 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia State Police are receiving more than $285,000 to improve and advance the agency's Forensic Lab through education and training.
The funds from the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program are provided by the U.S.
Body with gunshot found in search for Tulsa massacre victims
November 12, 2022 GMTA second body of a possible victim of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has been found to have a gunshot wound, according to the city.
“Forensic anthropologist Dr. Phoebe Stubblefield discovered that one of the three sets of remains exhumed last week contained one victim with a gunshot wound,” according to a statement late Friday from city spokesperson Carson Colvin.
Botched autopsy in Mexico killing leads to cover-up charge
November 8, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The killing of a young woman in Mexico City brought accusations Monday that authorities in a neighboring state intentionally botched her autopsy to cover up for the killer.
The death of Ariadna López, 27, brought up all the issues that have enraged women in Mexico: officials blaming the victim, poor police investigation and misconduct that has led to a growing number of unsolved killings of women.
Mexico City autopsy says woman slain, disputing state study
November 6, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City prosecutors said Sunday an autopsy on a local woman found dead in the neighboring state of Morelos showed she was killed by blunt force trauma.
That contradicts a Morelos state forensic exam that suggested the woman choked on her own vomit as a result of intoxication.
Autopsy: Takeoff died from gunshot wounds to head, torso
November 2, 2022 GMTHOUSTON (AP) — Rapper Takeoff died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso following a shooting outside a private party at a downtown Houston bowling alley, authorities announced Wednesday.
The announcement — following an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston — comes as police are still seeking the public’s help in tracking down the person or persons responsible for the rapper’s death Tuesday.
Lawyers for Arizona inmate facing execution file new appeal
November 1, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Lawyers for an Arizona death row inmate scheduled to be executed on Nov. 16 have filed a new appeal.
Murray Hooper’s attorneys filed another petition for post-conviction relief Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court, saying “newly discovered material facts” have been discovered in the case and the 76-year-old inmate should be entitled to a new trial.
Human remains recovered from clandestine graves in Mexico
November 1, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — At least two clandestine graves holding human remains were found in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, state authorities said Tuesday.
The state prosecutor's office did not say how many bodies were found in the graves in Irapuato, but the search collective Hasta Encontrarte, or “Until You’re Found,” previously said that 41 bags with human remains were found in the graves.
Weinstein lawyer presses woman over absence of rape evidence
October 27, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for Harvey Weinstein peppered a woman with questions Wednesday on the lack of forensic evidence that the movie magnate raped her in 2013, or that he was even at the hotel where she says the assault occurred.
Exhumations resume for DNA to ID Tulsa Race Massacre victims
October 26, 2022 GMTA team of scientists started the process of re-exhuming human remains Wednesday in their effort to identify people killed in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst known examples of white mob violence against Black Americans in U.S.
Trial in shootout with police delayed after insanity plea
October 22, 2022 GMTLEBANON, Ohio (AP) — The trial of an Ohio man charged in a shootout two years ago that wounded a police officer and also wounded him has been postponed until next year after the defendant opted for an insanity defense.
Arizona death row inmate seeks forensic tests in 1980 deaths
October 20, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — A judge is mulling an Arizona death row prisoner’s request to have fingerprint and DNA tests conducted on evidence from the two 1980 killings for which he is scheduled to be executed next month.
Maryland audit to focus on 100 in-custody police deaths
October 19, 2022 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland will review about 100 autopsies of people who died in police custody involving physical restraint because of concerns about the state's former medical examiner's testimony in the death of George Floyd, the state’s attorney general said Wednesday.
Modern DNA test yields arrest in 1989 Vermont double murder
October 13, 2022 GMTWATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — A drop of blood that was subjected to modern DNA testing enabled Vermont State Police detectives to make an arrest in the 1989 murder of a Danby couple found stabbed to death in their home, police said.
Remains found in 1974 identified as missing Illinois man
October 13, 2022 GMTJOLIET, Ill. (AP) — Human remains discovered in 1974 near a northeastern Illinois creek have been identified through forensic DNA testing as a suburban Chicago man who vanished in the early 1970s, officials said.
Bodies exhumed from mass grave in Ukraine’s liberated Lyman
October 11, 2022 GMTLYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Covered head-to-toe in protective suits, forensic workers pulled several bodies wrapped in black plastic from a mass grave Tuesday in Ukraine's devastated city of Lyman, part of an arduous effort to piece together evidence of what happened under more than four months of Russian occupation.
Tennessee fast-tracks new forensic jobs amid rape kit delays
September 29, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and top legislative leaders announced Thursday that they will fast-track more money to hire 25 additional forensic lab positions as the state’s turnaround times for sexual assault kits face scrutiny after a high-profile killing.
Autopsy says Tennessee teacher died of gunshot wound to head
September 29, 2022 GMTMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee kindergarten teacher who police said was kidnapped during a pre-dawn run and then killed earlier this month died from a gunshot wound to the head, an autopsy report released Thursday showed.
Sudan officials warn of disease from unidentified bodies
September 27, 2022 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Sudanese medical officials warned Monday that more than 1,500 unidentified bodies piled up in several of the country’s morgues could lead to an outbreak of disease, amid accusations the government is covering up their causes of death.
Video shows ‘unauthorized access’ to Ga. election equipment
September 20, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A Republican Party official in Georgia told a computer forensics team to copy components of the voting system at a rural elections office two months after the 2020 election and spent nearly all day there, contradicting her sworn deposition testimony about her role in the alleged breach of the equipment, a new court filing says.
More DNA sought from remains of possible massacre victims
September 14, 2022 GMTTULSA, Okla. (AP) — Scientists seeking to identify more victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre are planning to extract more DNA from recently reburied remains and test more areas as potential sites to search for additional bodies.
State police: 3,250 THC lab reports may be inaccurrate
August 31, 2022 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan State Police say about 3,250 lab reports on THC toxicology samples in prosecutions may be inaccurate because of a technical issue.
The state police Forensic Science Division said Wednesday that the problem may impact cases that occurred as far back as March 28, 2019.
Alabama man’s execution was botched, advocacy group alleges
August 30, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama corrections officials apparently botched an inmate's execution last month, an anti-death penalty group alleges, citing the length of time that passed before the prisoner received the lethal injection and a private autopsy indicating his arm may have been cut to find a vein.
Officials identify remains as girl reported missing in 1978
August 30, 2022 GMTJACKSBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Skeletal remains found nearly 40 years ago in rural northeast Tennessee have been identified as those of a missing Indiana girl, authorities said Tuesday.
The remains were positively identified this week as those of Tracy Sue Walker, who was born in 1963 and reported missing from the Lafayette, Indiana, area in 1978, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
Bones found 31 years ago identified as California woman
August 24, 2022 GMTRIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Bones found in a Southern California desert more than 31 years ago have been identified as the remains of a Los Angeles County woman.
The Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team used forensic genealogy to identify the bones as those of Kathryn Coffey of Baldwin Park, the district attorney’s office said in a press release Wednesday.
Prosecutors await forensic analysis in Alec Baldwin shooting
August 4, 2022 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The investigation into the fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin is ongoing, and the New Mexico prosecutor overseeing the case says authorities are awaiting the analysis of key forensic evidence before a decision can be made about whether criminal charges will be filed.
After crash, trucker’s blood showed heroin-related substance
August 1, 2022 GMTCONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A substance made when the body breaks down heroin was present a truck driver's blood just hours after he was involved in a 2019 crash that killed seven motorcyclists, a forensic toxicologist testified Monday.
2 agents wounded in Mexico by apparent booby trap
July 29, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — A forensic examiner and a detective were wounded when an explosive device went off while they were examining a crime scene in northern Mexico, authorities say.
The device appears to have been a booby trap, though police in the state of Guanajuato have not confirmed that.
Mexico: 18-year-old woman died of asphyxia “by obstruction”
July 19, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Investigators said Monday that another autopsy of a young woman whose mysterious death shocked Mexico has shown that she died of asphyxia by suffocation due to “obstruction of respiratory orifices.”
Texas man detained in 4 California killings from decades ago
July 15, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A man has been arrested in Texas in connection with the Southern California slayings of four women decades ago, police said.
Billy Ray Richardson, 76, was arrested on Thursday by detectives from the Los Angeles and suburban Inglewood police departments with the assistance of officers from Fort Worth, Texas, police.
Wyoming woman arrested in cold case death of UP baby
July 14, 2022 GMTST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — A Wyoming woman has been arrested and is awaiting extradition to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to face arraignment in the death 25 years ago of a baby found discarded in the waste pit of an outhouse, authorities said Wednesday.
Descendants of possible Tulsa massacre victims can give DNA
July 13, 2022 GMTPeople who believe they are descendants of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre can now provide genetic material to help scientists when they begin trying to identify remains of possible victims.
Mother arrested in cold case death of young son 23 years ago
July 13, 2022 GMTDECATUR, Ga. (AP) — A woman has been charged with murder in the death of her 6-year-old son outside Atlanta more than 23 years ago, her arrest brought about by a forensic artist's rendering of the child that led to a tip, authorities said Wednesday.
DNA testing IDs executed man as Texas girl’s killer in 1979
July 12, 2022 GMTCONROE, Texas (AP) — A man executed more than two decades ago has been identified through DNA testing as the person who killed a Texas girl in 1979, authorities have announced.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Monday it had spent decades investigating the September 1979 strangulation death of 12-year-old Lesia Michell Jackson.
Thousands in Bosnia commemorate 1995 Srebrenica massacre
July 11, 2022 GMTSREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Fifty newly identified victims were honored and reburied Monday in Bosnia as thousands gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust.
US: Israeli fire likely killed reporter; no final conclusion
July 4, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Monday the bullet that killed veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was likely fired from an Israeli position. But they said it was too badly damaged to reach an absolute determination, and that there is “no reason to believe” she was deliberately targeted.
Palestinians give bullet that killed journalist to US team
July 2, 2022 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — The Palestinian Authority on Saturday said it has given the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to American forensic experts, taking a step toward resolving a standoff with Israel over the investigation into her death.
Orange County clears decades-old sexual assault kit backlog
June 29, 2022 GMTSANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Orange County authorities have cleared a backlog of untested sexual assault kits going back decades and the results led to the filing of charges in six cold cases, the district attorney's office announced Tuesday.
They danced and died: Tragic teen party mystery in S. Africa
June 27, 2022 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities were seeking answers Monday, a day after 21 underage teenagers partying after the end of school exams died in a mysterious incident at a nightclub.
Investigator: DNA could identify 2 Tulsa massacre victims
June 22, 2022 GMTInvestigators seeking to identify victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre have found enough usable DNA for testing on two of the 14 sets of remains removed from a local cemetery a year ago, a forensic scientist said Wednesday.
Brazil police: Remains found those of British journalist
June 17, 2022 GMTRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Federal police said Friday that human remains found in Brazil’s remote Amazon have been identified as belonging to British journalist Dom Phillips, who went missing almost two weeks ago along with a Brazilian Indigenous expert in a case that drew world attention.
Remains found at Louisiana demolition site in March ID’d
June 17, 2022 GMTSHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — The forensic lab at Louisiana State University has identified decomposed remains found in the wreckage of a house that was being demolished in late March, the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office said.
Psychiatric evaluations of school shooter to remain sealed
June 11, 2022 GMTSPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Forensic psychiatric evaluations of Caleb Sharpe, who pleaded guilty to killing a classmate and injuring others in a shooting at Freeman High School in 2017, won’t be made public ahead of his August sentencing.
Ex-forensic official loses bid to toss corpse abuse charges
May 24, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware judge has refused to dismiss corpse abuse charges against a former state forensic investigator accused of improperly handling two bodies on separate occasions.
Judge bars laptop evidence in auditor corruption case
May 19, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A judge has chastised prosecutors for failing to turn over information to the defense in a criminal corruption case against Delaware’s state auditor, issuing a ruling that also exposed weaknesses in the state’s cyber forensics capabilities.
Police solve 32-year cold-case killing of California man
May 10, 2022 GMTFONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Police say they've solved a 32-year-old cold-case killing of a Southern California man, and the suspect is already serving a prison sentence on an unrelated charge.
John Carl Burkhardt, 71, was found stabbed to death at his ransacked Fontana home in March 1990 after he missed a breakfast date with a friend.
Detailed ‘open source’ news investigations are catching on
May 8, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — One of the more striking pieces of journalism from the Ukraine war featured intercepted radio transmissions from Russian soldiers indicating an invasion in disarray, their conversations even interrupted by a hacker literally whistling “Dixie.”
Psychologist hired by Depp testifies about Heard’s health
April 26, 2022 GMTFALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A forensic psychologist testified Tuesday that actor Amber Heard suffers from borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder, as the civil lawsuit between her and ex-husband Johnny Depp continues to wallow in the couple’s personal issues.
New LabVantage Forensic Navigator™ Seamlessly Manages Vast Data Flows Over the Entire Forensic Life
April 25, 2022 GMTPublic health official acquitted on misconduct charges
April 21, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A high-ranking state medical official and former Delaware lawmaker charged with official misconduct and falsifying business records was acquitted Thursday by a Superior Court judge.
Rights group urges Egypt to release critic’s autopsy report
April 21, 2022 GMTCAIRO (AP) — A leading human rights advocacy group is urging Egyptian authorities to release the autopsy report and investigate the suspicious death of an economic researcher detained two months ago.
Body found in Indiana in 1992 ID’d as Ohio girl who was 17
April 14, 2022 GMTLEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A female’s body found dumped along a central Indiana highway in 1992 has been identified as that of a Toledo, Ohio, girl who was 17 when she died, authorities said.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday that DNA technology had identified the body as that of Margaret Ann Sniegowski Jr., who was the youngest of eight siblings.
State official opts for bench trial on misconduct charges
April 11, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A high-ranking state medical official who is also a former Delaware lawmaker has opted for a bench trial instead of a jury trial on charges of official misconduct and falsifying business records.
Experts set to travel to Ukraine to identify the war’s dead
April 8, 2022 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An international organization formed to identify the dead and missing from the 1990s Balkan conflicts is preparing to send a team of forensics experts to Ukraine as the death toll mounts more than six weeks into the war caused by Russia's invasion.
State forensics lab planned for southeast Alabama
March 20, 2022 GMTDOTHAN, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences plans to open a new state laboratory in southeast Alabama that will conduct testing to help combat opioids and other drugs in the region.
Police: No sign of foul play after man found dead in ditch
March 18, 2022 GMTSEAFORD, Del. (AP) — Investigators have found no sign of foul play after a man was found dead in a ditch near a burning vehicle, Delaware State Police said Thursday.
Troopers responded to a report of a vehicle fire on a property along Airport Road in Seaford early Wednesday and when they arrived, they found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames, police said in a news release.
Names of 5 Illinois fire victims released, all were siblings
March 13, 2022 GMTGARDEN PRAIRIE, Ill. (AP) — A coroner's office has identified five people, including three children, who were killed last week in a fire at a farmhouse in rural northern Illinois near the Wisconsin border.
Arrest made in 1994 killing of Southern California woman
March 9, 2022 GMTRIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California man has been charged with stabbing to death a woman in Desert Hot Springs nearly three decades ago after DNA from bite marks and blood linked him to the killing, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Researchers seek new search for Tulsa Massacre victims
March 2, 2022 GMTThe discovery of human remains that could possibly be victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma shows that the search for mass graves should continue, researchers said.
A report submitted to Tulsa’s committee overseeing the search said one body, believed to be a Black male in his mid-to-late 20s, is a possible massacre victim and had three gunshot wounds with two bullets recovered from the remains, including one from the head.
Mexico’s efforts paltry in face of nearly 100,000 missing
February 28, 2022 GMTNUEVO LAREDO, Mexico (AP) — For the investigators, the human foot -- burned, but with some fabric still attached -- was the tipoff: Until recently, this squat, ruined house was a place where bodies were ripped apart and incinerated, where the remains of some of Mexico’s missing multitudes were obliterated.
Kaepernick launching initiative for secondary autopsies
February 23, 2022 GMTColin Kaepernick is launching an initiative through his Know Your Rights Camp that will offer free, secondary autopsies to family members of anyone whose death is “police-related.”
The initiative collaborates with a panel of board-certified forensic pathologists who perform autopsies, disclose preliminary findings, and issue final reports to requesting families.
Man accused of shooting at Alma officers to undergo 2nd exam
February 20, 2022 GMTALMA, Mich. (AP) — A man who allegedly fired gunshots at Alma police officers last fall will undergo a second psychiatric evaluation before a judge determines whether or not he will stand trial.
All future court appearances for Tyler Moreno, 28, of Alma, have been canceled until the results of the evaluation have been received, The Morning Sun reported.
Suspected human remains found during missing person probe
February 17, 2022 GMTHENDERSON, Md. (AP) — Investigators following up on a Delaware missing person case found suspected human remains in the backyard of a Maryland home, police said.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office and FBI went to a home on Schuyler Road in Henderson, Maryland, on Wednesday to follow up on the 2020 missing person case, state police said in a news release Thursday.
Maryland medical examiner seeks help with autopsy backlog
February 7, 2022 GMTBALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland's medical examiner is asking the federal government for help managing a backlog of more than 200 bodies awaiting autopsies.
Chief Medical Examiner Victor Weedn told the Postmortem Examiners Commission that he would make a formal request Friday for help from Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams, The Daily Record reported.
Barcelona hands ‘illicit’ actions of ex board to prosecutors
February 1, 2022 GMTBARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has handed over a forensic report to local prosecutors with what it said were findings of poor management and illegal activities by former president Josep Bartomeu and his board of directors.
DNA leads to arrest in 17-year-old California killing
January 30, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A 56-year-old Southern California man has been arrested in connection with the 2005 killing of a woman near Los Angeles after DNA and fingerprint evidence was used to identify him, authorities said.
Kansas City, Kansas, police start cold case unit
January 27, 2022 GMTKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas City, Kansas, police department is opening a new unit to review cold cases, Chief Karl Oakman said.
Oakman announced Thursday the city has 285 unsolved homicides spanning five decades.
Illinois police hope technology helps ID head found in 1993
January 24, 2022 GMTMOUNT VERNON, Ind. (AP) — Southern Illinois police are hoping technologies not available three decades ago can help them identify a woman whose head was found in 1993 in a state park.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is working with researchers who have performed an anthropological re-analysis, forensic genealogy and DNA analysis on the remains of the woman, who is known only as “Ina Jane Doe.”
Delaware fire officials: 1 found dead in burning townhouse
January 20, 2022 GMTNEWARK, Del. (AP) — A person was found dead inside a burning townhouse in Newark on Wednesday night, Delaware fire investigators said.
Firefighters were called to a home on Council Circle around 10 p.m.
Funding awarded for Kentucky sex assault kit investigation
January 14, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Almost $850,000 in federal funding has been awarded to the Kentucky State Police sexual assault kit initiative investigative team, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
The award will provide for an additional investigator who will focus on the Jefferson County area.
Remains found in Alabama in 2012 identified as Georgia woman
January 13, 2022 GMTLINCOLN, Ala. (AP) — Human remains found almost a decade ago at an abandoned house near Talladega Superspeedway during a race weekend have been identified as those of a Georgia woman, officials said Thursday.
Official: Police used fake DNA reports during interrogations
January 12, 2022 GMTVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Beach police used forged documents that linked people's DNA to a crime to get them to confess or cooperate with investigators, Virginia's outgoing attorney general announced Wednesday.
Court won’t block entire election ‘investigation’ subpoena
January 11, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court declined Monday to block an entire subpoena to state election officials in what Republican state lawmakers call a “forensic investigation” of 2020's presidential election, fueled by former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that Democrats stole the election.
Denver coroner’s office establishes family advocate program
January 9, 2022 GMTDENVER (AP) — The body on the table was that of a 28-year-old man. Inside an autopsy bay, professionals from the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner were trying to figure out what killed him.
To the doctors and forensic pathologists who perform the valuable service of cataloging Denver’s dead, this was just another day at the office.
Attorney sues Virginia for withholding lab records
January 5, 2022 GMTRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An attorney for a man who came within days of being executed in Virginia for a murder he didn’t commit has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against a state agency that’s withholding records the attorney believes will show authorities could have gotten the right suspect.