Prosecutor wants DNA from father of Christian Choate

NWI Times Indiana
CROWN POINT | The Lake County prosecutor’s office wants a DNA sample from the father of 13-year-old Christian Choate, whose body was found last month in a shallow grave.

Family says convicted killers innocent

Seattle Times
Seven years after a King County jury found Atif Rafay and Sebastian Burns guilty of three counts of aggravated first-degree murder for the 1994 bludgeoning deaths of Rafay’s parents and autistic sister, the state Court of Appeals will hear an appeal of their conviction.

Timothy Masters Is Formally Exonerated By A Grand Jury

Huffington Post Colorado
Nearly 25 years after the 1987 homicide of Peggy Hettrick, the once convicted Timothy Masters is no longer considered a suspect in the case. Masters served nearly 10 years in for the unsolved crime and was the first Coloradan freed from prison because of DNA evidence.

Hamilton soldier identified from First World War remains in France

The Spec Canada
The descendants of a long-lost Hamilton soldier are making sure he gets a proper burial overseas.

Deputy finds remains of 1977 murder victim at Lake Berryessa

Napa Valley Register California
The remains of a Walnut Creek woman killed nearly 34 years ago by the notorious Interstate 5 strangler have been found near Lake Berryessa after investigators using old aerial photos, maps and records were able to pinpoint the spot where her body lay, the Napa County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.

Disaster experts gather at INTERPOL to advance global standards

Web Newswire France
LYON, France – Senior international forensic and law enforcement experts are gathering at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat in Lyon to review and consolidate international victim identification methods following natural disasters and
terrorist attacks.

Shakespeare’s talent influenced by Marijuana?

Ammon News UK
A South African anthropologist has asked permission to open the graves of William Shakespeare and his family to determine, among other things, what killed the Bard and whether his poems and plays may have been composed under the influence of marijuana.

Global Forum to build DNA Database of Somali Pirates by 2012

Bernama
The international forum tasked with countering piracy off the coast of Somalia, plans to set up a DNA database of pirates by the end of next year, as part of its effort to cut off illicit funds that finance pirates.

Experts contest DNA evidence in Knox appeals trial

Associated Press Italy
ROME (AP) – Experts dispute much of the forensic evidence collected against Amanda Knox, saying in a report Wednesday that testing of DNA traces used to convict the American student and her co-defendant in the murder of her roommate was below international standards and evidence may have been contaminated.

Use of Prior Odds for Missing Persons Identifications

Author: Bruce BudowleJianye GeRanajit ChakrabortyHarrell Gill-King
Credits/Source: Investigative Genetics 2011, 2:15

Identification of missing persons from mass disasters is based on evaluation of a number of variables and observations regarding the combination of features derived from these variables…