Secrets From the Crime Lab practicalforensics.science

Part II of George Schiro’s story about his involvement in unraveling the identity of the notorious Zodiac Killer. What did he find in his examination of the alleged DNA profile of the Zodiac and Gary Stewart? Is Gary Stewart the biological son of the infamous Zodiac?This is part II! Be sure to listen to Part I first to get the whole story!To learn more about or to contact the guest, George Schiro, M.S., visit his website.Links to materials mentioned in this episode:ABC Primetime 2002 (where G...

The Zodiac case remains one of the most notorious unsolved murder mysteries in American history, and it continues to capture public interest and speculation. The self-proclaimed Zodiac killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California, primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2014 a man named Gary L. Stewart published a book, co-written by journalist Susan Mustafa, The Most Dangerous Animal of All, about how he came to the conclusion that his biological father was the Zodi...

On this episode I spoke with Det. Zack Kowalske, an expert in bloodstain pattern analysis, crime scene reconstruction, and a pioneer in Space Forensics! We discussed BPA (bloodstain pattern analysis), some concerns in the field (error rates), and Zack's research on bloodstain pattern analysis in microgravity.Support the Show!Become a subscriber: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1936265/supporters/newMake a one-time contribution (uses Paypal): Buy Me a CoffeeGet Zack's new book: "Gaming the Reaper: ...

"The role of a forensic science defence expert is often referred to by those working for the police/state/government forensic labs as being on the "dark side."In Joining the Dark Side, author David Schudel outlines the evolution of a fascinating career that starts out in the dark side and looks at what problems can appear in forensic cases. The book delves into the problems inherent to forensic science, in particular cognitive bias and scientific philosophy. It also looks at the emotional imp...

In this episode I spoke with Dr. Itiel Dror, a cognitive neuroscientist known in the forensic realm for his contributions to revealing the unconscious implicit biases in forensic decisions and providing tools to minimize them. He recently published several papers examining - for the first time - cognitive bias in forensic pathology. The Maryland Attorney General has announced an independent audit of in-custody death determinations made by the OCME during the tenure of Dr. David Fowler. Dr. Fo...

Massively Parallel Sequencing has revolutionized laboratories' ability to harness more and more information from our genetics. This has led to massive improvements in medical diagnostics, public health (think SARs-CoV-2 variant identification), ancestry determinations, and now forensic science has begun adapting this technology to criminal investigations.In this episode I speak with Professor Megan Foley, Teresa Snyder-Leiby, and Sarah Copeland about the challenges laboratories are facing as ...