Latest news with #InvestigativeGeneticGenealogy
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Forensic genealogy helped find Rachel Morin's accused killer
Editor's Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673. (NewsNation) — Authorities used forensic genealogy to track down Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, the man accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin in 2023. Claire Glynn, the founding director of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy at the University of New Haven, joined 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' on Friday to talk about the process. She said the method entails using the unknown DNA sample to build out a family tree of relatives until a suspect is found. Martinez-Hernandez's defense disputed the discovery of the DNA, saying the results weren't 100% linked to him. Glynn says it could happen when some genetic markers are lost in a DNA profile during the forensic process if the sample was contaminated or only a low sample was found. Mother of man rescued from Connecticut 'House of Horrors': 'I love you' Prosecutors on the case say they found multiple DNA samples from Martinez-Hernandez from the site and on Morin. 'Whenever you have multiple different DNA samples on different sites and sources on the body and on the victim, that's giving a lot of strength to the evidence,' Glynn said. Glynn said the tool is new and is being used more in cases similar to Morin's and other challenging cases. It was used in the Golden State Killer's discovery in 2018. 'In the time since 2018, 1,200 different cases have benefited from the use of forensic genealogy,' Glynn said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- CBS News
Remains linked to cold case identified thanks to help from New Jersey college students
Students at a New Jersey college are being credited for helping police identify the remains of a woman who disappeared more than 10 years ago. Maria Quinones Garcia went missing from Allentown, Pennsylvania, back in 2014. "In 2017, a foot inside of a shoe was found in the Delaware River in Warren County, New Jersey," said Cairenn Binder, with the Ramapo College of New Jersey Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) certificate program. With no other evidence, the case turned cold until 2023 when the New Jersey State Police turned to Ramapo College of New Jersey's IGG center for help. "We basically start by taking a DNA sample of many people, reconstructing their [family] trees to find a common ancestor," said Mike Flanagan, one of the students in the 15-week certificate program that helped identify Quinones Garcia. The class analyzed the genotype profile created from the 54-year-old's bone remains, then uploaded the profile to genealogy databases. "In this particular case, one of my colleagues researching the family found a Facebook post of the missing person," Flanagan said. The program's assistant director says the course attracts people in law enforcement and legal professions. "Then we have a number of retirees, genealogy hobbyists, stay-at-home moms, and just whole wealth of people that are just interested in learning how to do this," Binder said. Students have one goal in mind: to provide closure to the loved ones of missing people. "It's a wonderful feeling. There's nothing worse than not knowing where a loved one is," Flanagan said. "The family finally has answers," Binder said. "And for me, there's no better feeling than being able to teach investigative genetic genealogy and bring those answers to the cold case investigators." In addition to the 15-week program, the center also offers a one-week boot camp in June. The center has helped solve many other cases and helped exonerate people who have been wrongfully incarcerated.
CBS News
05-03-2025
- CBS News
University of Idaho murders case documents cite autism and whether "sociopath" can be used during trial
An Idaho judge is warning attorneys to quit filing so many sealed documents in the murder case of a man accused in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students. Bryan Kohberger's defense attorneys and prosecutors have made secrecy the norm rather than an exception, 4th District Judge Steven Hippler wrote in a court order on Monday. "This runs counter to the public's First Amendment rights to know what is going on in its courts," Hippler wrote. He ordered the attorneys to use the least restrictive steps necessary to protect confidential information in the case, such as redacting some lines or using initials instead of an individual's full name. Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, students who were killed in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home near their campus in Moscow, Idaho. When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. Hippler's directive came as a flurry of new motions were filed ahead of the August trial, including a sealed defense motion to take the death penalty off the table that cited autism spectrum disorder. Other sealed motions include one on whether the terms "psychopath" or "sociopath" can be used during the trial, and one from prosecutors about the presence of immediate family members in the courtroom during the trial. Some of the currently sealed documents will be redacted and made public, and others will remain sealed, the judge ruled. A trial is expected to begin Aug. 11 and last for more than three months. The judge has said no one would be allowed into the courtroom but that the open portions of the trial would be livestreamed from the court's YouTube page. Last month, Hippler declined to throw out key evidence against Kohberger, saying that the genetic investigation process that it hinges on was not unconstitutional. Hippler was not swayed by legal arguments made by Kohberger's defense team that law enforcement violated his constitutional rights when they used a process called Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or IGG, to identify possible suspects. In November, Kristi and Steve Goncalves, the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, said the details of the case show the death penalty is merited. "You've got four victims, all in one house - that's more than enough," Steve Goncalves said. Kristi Goncalves said she talked to the coroner and knows what happened to her daughter. "If he did anything like he did to our daughter to the others, then he deserves to die," she said. Steve Goncalves told "48 Hours" last year that "there's evidence to show that she awakened and tried to get out of that situation," saying "she was trapped" based on the way the bed was set up.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- CBS News
Judge in University of Idaho killings case makes ruling on key DNA evidence
An Idaho judge declined to throw out key evidence against the man charged with murder in connection with the killings of four University of Idaho students, saying Wednesday that the genetic investigation process that it hinges on was not unconstitutional. Judge Steven Hippler was not swayed by legal arguments made by Bryan Kohberger's defense team that law enforcement violated his constitutional rights when they used a process called Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or IGG, to identify possible suspects. The decision came nearly a month after a two-day hearing on the matter, removing what could have been a major wrench in the prosecution's case before trial starts in August. The judge said no one would be allowed into the courtroom but that the open portions of the trial would be livestreamed from the court's YouTube page. Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were killed in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho. When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting a judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. The IGG process often starts when DNA found at the scene of a crime doesn't yield any results through standard law enforcement databases. When that happens, investigators may look at all the variations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms, that are in the DNA sample. Those SNPs, or "snips," are then uploaded to a genealogy database like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA to look for possible relatives of the person whose DNA was found at the scene. In Kohberger's case, investigators said they found "touch DNA," or trace DNA, on the sheath of a knife that was found in the home where the students were fatally stabbed. The FBI used the IGG process on that DNA and the information identified Kohberger as a possible suspect. Defense attorney Anne Taylor had argued that police never sought warrants to analyze the DNA found at the crime scene, nor did they get warrants to analyze the DNA of potential relatives that had been submitted to genealogy databases. She argued the court should suppress the IGG identification and everything that came from it. The judge said that in order to throw out evidence based on a warrantless search, Kohberger's defense would need to "show that he had legitimate expectation of privacy in the item or place searched." "Any privacy interest he can claim in this DNA was abandoned along with the sheath, to which he claims no ownership or knowledge," said Hippler. "Even if no such abandonment occurred, defendant has not demonstrated it is reasonable to recognize a privacy interest in DNA left at a crime scene." The judge also ruled against three other defense motions objecting to the way warrants were issued and to suppress evidence such as cellphone data. "He deserves to die," victim's mother says Last November, Kristi and Steve Goncalves, the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, said the details of the case show the death penalty is merited. "You've got four victims, all in one house - that's more than enough," Steve Goncalves said. Kristi Goncalves said she talked to the coroner and knows what happened to her daughter. "If he did anything like he did to our daughter to the others, then he deserves to die," she said. Steve Goncalves told "48 Hours" last year that "there's evidence to show that she awakened and tried to get out of that situation," saying "she was trapped" based on the way the bed was set up Goncalves' family said in the spring that they were frustrated by how long it has taken the case to progress through the judicial system. "This case is turning into a hamster wheel of motions, hearings, and delayed decisions," the family said in a statement.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Trial set for suspect in killings of 4 Idaho college students. Here's what you need to know
A judge this week declined to throw out key evidence against the man charged in the killings of four University of Idaho students near the campus two years ago. The decision cleared the way for Bryan Kohberger's murder trial to begin this summer. Here's what you need to know about the case that shocked the nation: What's the case? Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of murder in the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were killed in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The criminal justice graduate student was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. Investigators were able to match his DNA to genetic material recovered from the sheath of a knife found at the rental home. When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting the judge to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf. The killings shook the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn't had a homicide in about five years. The trial was moved from rural northern Idaho to Boise after the defense expressed concerns that Kohberger couldn't get a fair trial in the county where the killings occurred. What happened this week? Judge Steven Hippler on Wednesday rejected arguments by Kohberger's defense team that law enforcement violated the defendant's constitutional rights when they used a process called Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or IGG, to identify possible suspects. Defense attorneys argued that police never sought warrants to analyze the DNA found at the crime scene, nor did they get warrants to analyze the DNA of potential relatives that had been submitted to genealogy databases. She argued the court should suppress the IGG identification and everything that came from it. Hippler declined the defense's request to toss the evidence. The decision removed what could have been a major barrier to the prosecution's case before trial starts. What is known about the suspect? Kohberger was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, which is about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of the University of Idaho. He graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018. DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor's degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022. What's next? Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted at the trial set to start in August. The judge has issued a gag order for everyone involved in the trial and won't allow cameras in the courtroom.
