Forensic Magazine

Student researcher Hayden Leigh collecting hair samples from Boris the Bear. Credit: Museum of Chelmsford A University of Staffordshire student is using hair from a 120-year-old taxidermy bear to explore new ways of preventing wildlife crime. "Boris the Bear" has been a popular exhibit at the Museum of Chelmsford since 1932—so much so that he’s considered to be the museum’s unofficial mascot.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office have identified David Allen Snyder as the suspect in the homicides of sisters Marguerite “Maggie” Jenkins, 18 and Mary Jenkins, 16 that took place in May 1973 in Key West. Snyder died in Oct. 2008. In April 1973, the Jenkins sisters traveled to Key West from New Jersey for a vacation. They were last seen hitchhiking on Stock Island on May 2.

Othram recently worked with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office’s to leverage its technology to identify a 1983 John Doe and 2023 Jane Doe. 1983 John Doe On November 25, 1983, the remains of an unidentified man were recovered from a waterway in the 2400 block of 10th Avenue North in unincorporated Lake Worth, Florida. Officers responded and began collecting evidence and investigating.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was joined today by U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Erin Creegan, representatives from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the New Hampshire Department of Safety, the Town of Londonderry, and members of the New Hampshire federal congressional delegation to officially open the new DEA New England Laboratory in Londonderry, marking the completion of a state-of-the-art forensic facility.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office at 79 North Silicon Drive in Pueblo West, Colorado. Credit: Jeffrey Beall, July 2017 On Tuesday, former Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forensic analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods was sentenced to 10 years in prison, closing a yearslong chapter in one of the biggest DNA scandals in decades—although the fallout is far from over. In June, Woods pleaded guilty to four felonies—cybercrime, perjury, forgery and attempting to influence a public servant.

On Dec. 29, 1977, skeletal remains and clothing were found in a wooded area near the Firestone plant at 3001 Firestone Parkway in Wilson. The Wilson County Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation responded. A medical examiner determined the remains belonged to a white female, approximately 16 to 23 years old, who had likely been there for 6 months to 2 years. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) classified the manner of death as undetermined.

Kelly Lee Brower. Credit: Texas DPS An Arizona man will soon be extradited to Texas on capital murder charges after modern forensic testing identified him as the person responsible for a 1981 sexual assault and murder. The suspect, Kelly Lee Brower, 68, was arrested on Aug. 19, 2026, in Cottonwood, Ariz.

The Coconino County (Arizona) Unidentified Remains Task Force (CCURTF) has confirmed the identity of a previously unidentified decedent whose remains were discovered in a wooded area near Mt. Elden Road and Schultz Pass outside Flagstaff in July 1980. Through a collaborative investigation utilizing advances in forensic science and genetic genealogy, the Task Force was able to establish the decedent’s identity.

New Monash University research argues our Paranthropus (pictured) and Australopithecus ancestors who lived up to 5 million years ago should be included under the Homo group of species. Credit: Ian Towle, Monash University. Recent advances in our understanding of human evolution challenge the way we currently name and classify our ancestors, according to new research from Monash University.

From The Van Slyke C02 Test of Blood Plasma for Acidosis (1921). Credit: WashU Thanks to a National Film Preservation Fund Grant (NFPF), the WashU Libraries’ Film & Media Archive has successfully completed the preservation of six short reels of scientific film made by Dr. Rutherford Birchard Hayes Gradwohl (1877-1959). An 1898 graduate of the WashU School of Medicine, R.B.H. Gradwohl went on to found the modern version of forensic science.