Forensics TTA

Program Success! With support from the Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program, the Office of the Medical Examiner, District 19 (OME-19) in Florida became fully accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiner’s (NAME). Only 12 out of the 25 districts in the state are NAME-accredited. Read more about this achievement on our website: https://ow.ly/qRrg50TerYf

Program Success! An arrest has been made in a 1990 sexual assault and double homicide case out of Dekalb County, Georgia. In February of this year, using funds from the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program, the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to upload the DNA profile of the case to the national database. Within days they got a match to a sexual assault case in Detroit, Michigan. This match, along with forensic genetic genealogy (FGG), led authorities to 55-year-old Kenneth Perry, who is now in custody and faces multiple charges. Learn more about the case here: https://ow.ly/IYOo50TerMf

The Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program has helped more than 390 agencies improve their timeliness in case analysis. This fulfills part of the program’s mission to help reduce the backlog of forensic evidence analysis requests that are waiting to be processed and build the capacity of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner practitioners. Learn more about the goals of the Coverdell program: https://ow.ly/8cG550SSs3W

Since Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program’s 2019 start, 46 cold cases have resulted in charges or indictment against one or multiple suspects. The COLD program focuses on decreasing the number of unresolved violent cold case crimes awaiting prosecution by resourcing agencies to move cases forward that have a suspect’s DNA profile generated. Browse additional metrics achieved by the program: https://ow.ly/q1SV50SSqnF

To date, funds from the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program (MUHR) have been used to repatriate 39 cases to relatives or next of kin. The MUHR program provides agencies with resources to report, transport, identify, and perform forensic testing on missing persons and unidentified human remains, including migrants. View other MUHR program performance metrics here: https://ow.ly/wLcA50SSoOn

Program fast fact! The Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence (Postconviction) Program has supported over 2,000 cases in performing postconviction DNA analysis. This program aims to defray costs associated with postconviction DNA analysis in hopes of identifying cases where DNA testing could prove the actual innocence of a person convicted of a violent felony offense. Learn more about the Postconviction program here: https://ow.ly/Ubmq50SSnEX

Today is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. This day commemorates those who have passed away due to illicit fentanyl poisoning and acknowledges the profound impact of the loss experienced by families and friends. It is a day for organizations and affected loved ones to reaffirm the severity of this national issue to the public, promote prevention, and advocate for lasting change. The Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program allows grantees to use funding for addressing the specific challenges forensic laboratories, medical examiners and coroners face due to the proliferation of opioids and synthetic drugs, like fentanyl. Learn more about the purpose of this day: https://ow.ly/PGTR50SAhAo

So far, 676,000 forensic (crime scene) profiles have been uploaded to CODIS due to funding from BJA’s DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program. CEBR works to increase the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples processed for entry into CODIS by providing funding for laboratories to process the samples and increase capacity to process DNA samples for CODIS upload. Learn more about the CEBR program here: https://ow.ly/S7zy50SSaPZ

Meet the Forensics TTA Team: Kelly Keyes is a Research Forensic Scientist and has almost 25 years of experience as a Medicolegal Death Investigator at the Orange County Sherriff-Coroner's Office. Kelly serves as a Co-Lead Coach for BJA’s Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program. Last month, Kelly attended the IACME Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she gave a presentation on ‘Enhancing Medicolegal Death Investigations: BJA Forensics Programs and the Forensics Training and Technical Assistance Program.’ She discussed how and why the FTTA program began and shared information about three of BJA’s forensics programs. Learn about all six programs and what the FTTA team does to support them: https://ow.ly/ekBX50SS8A0

The U.S. Border Patrol Foreign Operations Division Missing Migrant Program webinar is now available on the Forensics TTA website! This webinar provides an overview of the program, including how the U.S. Border Patrol aims to prevent migrant disappearances and deaths, assists in identifying human remains, and collaborates with various agencies to support investigators and provide answers for the families of those who are missing. You can view the recording here: https://ow.ly/ivrI50SS5ui