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Author: Yujiemi Chisholm
FTCOE

Just Teeth And Technology

In episode one of the FTCOE’s Unidentified Human Remains mini season, the presenter discusses how dental evidence can be used to help identify human remains, the benefits of using teeth alongside other methods of identification, and how technology can advance the field.

This episode contains content that is sensitive in nature and may be potentially triggering to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

January 2023
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Hawai’i Innocence Project

Exoneration of Albert “Ian” Schweitzer

In 1991, Albert “Ian” Schweitzer was convicted for the sexual assault and murder of Dana Ireland. After 25 years of wrongful incarceration, on January 24, 2023, his conviction was dismissed based on new DNA testing that excluded him as a contributor to DNA evidence collected from the crime scene and instead identified one unknown male perpetrator. Mr. Schweitzer’s wrongful conviction was also impacted by false testimony, false confession, and ineffective assistance of counsel.
January 2023
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Bureau of Justice Assistance

Finding a Serial Killer—and Justice—After 40 Years

Last winter, police in Denver, Colorado, announced that they had solved the cold-case murders of four women who had died about 40 years ago, all of whom had been the victims of one man—a previously unknown serial killer named Joe Michael Ervin. It took years of old-school police work and a cutting-edge investigative technique called forensic genetic genealogy (FGG). It took the combined efforts of law enforcement in Colorado and Texas, along with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), which used two different grants to help crack the case.
January 2023
FTCOE

Age Estimation From The Pubic Symphysis: Back To Basics

This webinar provides a brief history of age estimation from the pubic symphysis in forensic anthropology, followed by a breakdown of the anatomical features described in the Suchey-Brooks and Hartnett-Fulginiti (HF) phase descriptions, and overviews the revised seven phase HF method and how to apply it.
January 2023
FTCOE

Case Study Guides For Select NMDID Cases

This report is designed for forensic practitioners who are interested in learning more about the use of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) in death investigation and anthropological analysis. This report includes numerous case study guides that feature a mixture of anthropological cases, decomposition/post-mortem change cases, and common medical examiner cases.
December 2022
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Highlights

Office of the Medical Examiner, District 19, FL uses Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System funding to achieve accreditation

On November 18, 2022, in conjunction with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program Grant, the Office of the Medical Examiner, District 19 (OME-19), Florida became a fully accredited agency by the National Association of Medical Examiner’s (NAME). Since only twelve of the twenty-five districts in the state are NAME accredited, the OME-19 is particularly proud of this accomplishment. Through hard work, dedication, planning, and the assistance of this grant, the OME-19, in a short period of time, was able to turn what was thought to be something unachievable (due to building and financial constraints) to something successfully achieved.
November 2022
FTCOE

In-Brief Report Series: Digital Transformation Of Cold Case Reviews

This three-part in-brief series explores the impact of digital transformation on cold case files and the case review process. The first in-brief highlights the prevalence, challenges, and benefits of digital transformation on the cold case review process. The second in-brief focuses on the processes and resources available to digitize their cold case files. The third in-brief reviews the value of text analytics and the steps agencies may take to adopt these technologies for cold case files.
November 2022
FTCOE

The NIJ Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group – Progress To Date And Future Plans

In 2018, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) formed the Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG), which provided a space for crime laboratory directors or managers and academic researchers to meet regularly to share ideas, assess the impact of new technologies on their field, and identify next steps for implementation. From FLN-TWG’s first meeting, FLN-TWG members created this in-brief which documents their goals and a list of resources to promote technology adoption by crime laboratories.
November 2022

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