There is an opening for a civilian CSI in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Follow the link below for details and to apply.
2018 CSI Conference
International Crime Scene Investigators Association Annual Conference, this year we are in Nashville. Come on out and join us!
Did Amelia Earhart survive crash landing in the Marshall Islands?
A recently released photo seems to indicate that she may have. The photo is discussed in a new History Channel special that airs Sunday July 9. Read more about the story here (via NBC).
Barry Fisher on expert witness testimony
A good, if short, look at the admissibility of expert witness testimony and whether or not statistical data is a requirement for something to qualify.
Published by Taylor & Francis Online as an editorial in Forensic Sciences Research.
A new challenge for expert witnesses relying on subjective information
Two Interesting Cold Case Articles
The first article has Michigan ties. Following up on a cold case led an Ohio medical examiner’s office to a fingerprint match and old files in Grand Haven that ID’d a man killed by a train in 1980. Via The Grand Haven Tribune
The second is another story of using ancestral DNA, this time to identify an abandoned child, which led to clearing a cold case on the other side of the country. From Forensic Magazine
Family DNA Searches in the News Again
Forty year old murder solved via family DNA search. The suspect identified was killed by police in 1982 following an escape from prison. Read the full article- Los Angeles Times
The Truth About Lying- From the FBI
The Truth About Lying: What Investigators Need to Know
“Often investigators express confidence in their ability to spot a lie. The belief that it is relatively easy to catch a liar has been fueled by literature that often lists so-called secrets of nonverbal communication.” -Brian D. Fitch, Ph.D.
This is a pretty good overview of methods to detect lies and deception and a good jumping off point for those new to interview and interrogation. The endnotes also provide a useful resource for further reading.
Family DNA Article from the New York Times
Family DNA Searches Seen as Crime-Solving Tool, and Intrusion on Rights
Personally, I fail to see the intrusion on rights, but it’s an interesting article about DNA technology. Family searches aren’t even new, it’s something that’s been done for more than a decade in some places.
Crime Scene Investigation Conference
Conference Hotel
2017 CSI CONFERENCE
Training, Education and Technology
June 6, 7, & 8, 2017
Hilton Phoenix Chandler
2929 West Frye Road
Chandler Arizona USA
This will be the fourth year for the conference hosted by the International Crime Scene Investigators Association. This is a great opportunity for training and networking with other CSIs from across the United States and around the world. There may be space left for presenters if you are interested in giving a talk or doing a workshop and, of course, vendor support is always welcomed. Sadly I can’t be there this year, but it’s shaping up to be an excellent conference.
For more info see the conference page lined above or contact the conference chair: Daniel Desjardins at csiconference@icsia.org
Shooting Reconstruction
Interesting article over at Forensic Magazine:
Devil’s in the Details for Ed Hueske, Who Wrote the Book on Shooting Reconstructions