Two Montana Sweethearts Were Fatally Shot in 1956. the Case Was Just Solved

 

Levenson, Michael. “Two Montana Sweethearts Were Fatally Shot in 1956. the Case Was Just Solved.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 June 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/us/great-falls-montana-2007-homicide-dna.html.  

For my current event, I read the New York Times article by Michael Levenson entitled “Two Montana Sweethearts Were Fatally Shot in 1956. The Case Was Just Solved.” The article discusses the tragic murder of high school sweethearts Duane Bogle and Patricia Kalitzke. Although the pair died in 1956, Detective Sgt. Jon Kadner of the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office in Montana was put in charge of the case in 2012. While police reports from the time of crime show an array of possible subjects, the case previously lacked definitive DNA evidence to identify the killer. By using genetic genealogy, which uses DNA evidence to identify potential suspects by identifying the relatives of the suspect, the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office was able to determine Kenneth Gould as the likely killer. Although Gould died in 2007, the revelations regarding the 1956 killings are nonetheless significant as proof of the importance of new DNA technology.

While Levenson only talks about one specific case within his article, the DNA technology he mentions has profound implications on forensic science as a whole. With genetic genealogy, law enforcement can work to solve what was once considered unsolvable--crimes from decades past can be given closure as new technological innovations allow us to more accurately identify suspects, bringing justice to the victims and families that had previously lost hope.

I really enjoyed Levenson’s article; it was concise, interesting, and well-written. He introduces the topic in an intriguing way that draws the reader inward, while also explaining the science behind the new DNA technology in simple, understandable terms. I only wish that Levenson could have elaborated more on her concluding point, which talked about the emotional impact that such revelations can have on the family of the suspect. I thought this was a very interesting topic and I would have liked to see him analyze the implications of this new technology a bit more.

posted for E. Burnell 

 

Study highlights need to replace 'ancestry' in forensics with something more accurate.

July 14, 2021. North Carolina State University

As our society progresses and diversifies the human population, it becomes more important to ensure that anthropology forensic is being updated as well, maximizing potential and accuracy of the field. Forensic anthropology relates the human race with bone structure, and follows with the categories Asian, European, and African. Furthermore, inconsistent terminology used in the forensic science field (for example, different words to describe a race) allows for confusion, misunderstanding and missure within the discipline of categorizing by historical ancestry. Using a default such as race can be widely misleading in the context of forensic science. Population affinity (in the context of forensic anthropology) is determined by the skeletal characteristics associated with groups of people. Bone structure can represent many other aspects of ancestry that are beyond, or even contradicts one’s appearance of race. It is important that forensic science not only analyzes historical ancestry, but reflects modern change and faults in the far too simple terms and categories.

This is a significant point to be made in the science and justice system as a whole; researchers who evaluated nine data sets on data of 397 people from South America (Cuba Guatemala, Panama, Peru…) found that groups that are geographically close to each other aren't always similar to one another. For example, Panama and Colombia, which share a border, have surprising differences in their skeletal characteristics. This study on ancestry and race is significantly important in forensics science because it works to take steps towards reducing racism in the field , and prevents the common fault of marginalizing specific groups of people. As a field, it is important that there is an emphasis on thinking about physical markers in the context of population affinity, to specifically help understand the origins of unidentified remains - it is important that the forensic field recognize this so that they don’t contribute to the structural inequities and racism. Contemporary remains reflect cultural influence on the different origins of the world.

I found that this article was a little confusing to follow along with, and would have preferred a more direct connection of generalizing terms and how they can contribute to faults and inequities such as racism in the field. I think again, there could have been greater elaboration on how these errors on analyzing origin contribute to the problem or targeted marginalized populations, as it was only brushed upon. Conclusively, I would have liked to learn more about specific examples of how significant faults in inconsistent and too general terms have impacted the justice system or thoroughness of a crime case, in regards to forensic science.

posted for S Blazejczak 

Death of Pamela Shelley

 

Death of Pamela Shelley

This case was about a woman named Pamela Shelly and her mysterious death. Pamela died on route to the hospital in 2001 with a gunshot wound to the head. Some background to this was that her husband and her had just recently split up and her husband had moved in with her kids into a family friend's house. The family friend's name was Joe Hendrick. Investigators initially ruled the death as a suicied but with some more close look at the case, evidence showed that there was no way that she could have shot herself from the angle the bullet went into her head. With a closer look at the case, enforcement found Joe Hendrick guilty and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The information in this article goes to show a lot. The case was initially ruled as a suicide. But with technology and forensics science they were able to take a closer look at the case. Scientists found the angle of the bullet that went through her head and were able to tell that it was impossible for her to shoot herself.

I thought this article was solid, but could use a little more. I feel like it needs to explain what the scientist did in order for them to find that angle of the bullet. Also I thin k it needs to give more background information about the case and what caused Joe Hendrick to murder pamela. But overall I thought the article was interesting and solid.

Posted for D Bilyeu 

Murder of Two MONTANA Teens in 1956 Finally Closed Using Forensic Genealogy

 

Press, The Associated. “Murder of Two MONTANA Teens in 1956 Finally Closed Using Forensic Genealogy.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 June 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murder-two-montana-teens-1956-finally-closed-using-forensic-genealogy-n1270453. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murder-two-montana-teens-1956-finally-closed-using-forensic-genealogy-n1270453

Going back to 1956, on January 3rd three boys were hiking near Wadsworth Park (northwest of Great Falls). These boys found the dead body of Duane Bulge, just 18, lying next to his car. Just one day later, a county road worker found another dead body. It was the body of Patrica Kalitzke, who was 16 years of age. Since the finding of these bodies, officers have been investigating them for years and were not able to prove anyone guilty. Yet, just recently, this 65-year-old murder mystery was solved. You may wonder, how? Well, the article stated that “DNA evidence preserved after a 1956 double homicide and the use of forensic genealogy has helped a Montana sheriff’s office close the books on the 65-year-old cold case.” (Murder of two Montana teens in 1956 finally closed using forensic genealogy) 

Back in June, investigators with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office concluded that Kenneth Gould shot both Patricia Kalitzke and Duane Bogle in the head. Before this conclusion, the “case went cold for decades until 2001.” Detective Phil Matteson picked the case back up in 2001; he sent a vaginal swab gathered from Kalitzke’s body to the Montana State Crime Lab for analysis. However, The lab did not lead to any results. Matteson later ended up retiring and believed that this case would never be solved. Further, it is claimed that “A lot of different people had a turn at this, and we just weren’t able to take it to conclusion.” 

Yet, in 2018 forensic genealogy was being used to help adoptees find their biological family members. It was also used to identify Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. as the Golden State Killer. So, in 2019, Cascade County detectives had Bode Technology perform, and DNA testing on the evidence found on Kalitzke’s body. It was uploaded to voluntary genealogical databases, where they discovered a possible family connection. This is what led investigators to Gould. Kadner then went on to reach out to Gould’s children and asked them for DNA samples to verify the match.

Solving this mystery using forensic genealogy is huge, as it can assist detectives in the future. It is a new, simple, and easy technique. Forensic genealogy can also help society in so many other ways. As mentioned it can help adopted children find family. But it can also help lost children find their parents, or just simply help family members find their ancestors. Whatever it may be, forensic genealogy is a huge accomplishment in the field of technology.  

Overall, this article did a great job of explaining the steps and the amount of time it took to solve this murder. So, I thought the organization was great. However, I wish this article talked more about why this murder happened. Perhaps, suggesting reasons as to why Gould committed this murder. The author also could have added more about Gould’s personal life. Perhaps, anything going on in his life that could have led him to commit this murder. 

posted for J Bazinet

3-D Printed 'Ghost Guns' Pose New Challenges for Crime-Scene Investigators

 

Wilke, Carolyn. “3-D Printed 'Ghost Guns' Pose New Challenges for Crime-Scene Investigators.” Science News, 23 Sept. 2019, www.sciencenews.org/article/3d-printed-guns-plastic-ballistics-crime.

 

Ever since it was launched in 1999, the National Integrated Information Network (NIBIN) has been able to match over 110,000 pieces of evidence from guns. Ballistic evidence is crucial to forensic scientists and detectives who try to catch criminals. Firearms leave markings on the bullets and cartridges when they are fired making it easy for organizations like NIBIN to find who shot the weapon. In a 2017 shooting of 2 people in a Phoenix apartment, after only 2 days, NIBIN was able to not only catch the killer from the firearms but was also able to link that firearm to a series of other shootings from the previous 3 weeks in which eight people were killed. However, recently, 3D printed guns have risen in popularity and have made it increasingly harder for NIBIN to identify the weapon. Right now, 3D printers are very expensive and are not yet fast enough to produce guns efficiently, however, the fear is that as they become more available, it will make it harder for crime investigators to find suspects. 

This article is very relevant to current forensic science because it is about the struggle that scientists will face when 3D printed guns become more widely used. Because people will soon be able to make their own guns with a 3D printer, more guns will be unregistered and made off the grid. If a plastic gun were used in a crime, it would be very hard to track down the gun since plastic guns don’t have serial numbers like every other firearm and they can be dissolved in solvents. Overall, the problem is that plastic guns can override most security measures like background checks and metal detectors. In order to prepare for more 3D printed guns being used, forensic scientists are beginning to study them more by making and firing them to figure out how they work. Through their studies, scientists have found that compared to typical metal guns, plastic guns don’t have spiral ridges so they don’t leave marks on bullets that help detect the gun, they don’t leave chemical residues, they’re texture makes fingerprints almost unrecoverable, however, they did fund that DNA may be easier to find because of the textured plastic. 

I really enjoyed reading this article because I liked how detailed it was and how in-depth the explanations were so it was easy to understand. For example, I really like how the author provided a table in the middle of the article that provided a direct comparison of metal and plastic guns and their properties so it was very clear and easy to understand. In addition, I really enjoyed the pictures that were provided in the article as they also contributed to how easy the article was to understand. I think the only thing that could have made this article better is if they provided more examples of when plastic guns have been used just like they talked about how metal guns were used in crimes. Overall, I think I learned a lot from this article because I didn’t really know that plastic guns were a possibility and that they were so different from regular guns that they would pose more challenges in criminal investigations. 

posted for R. Baror 

Sheriff: Arrest in '92 Cold Case Death of Baby Girl in River

 

“Sheriff: Arrest in '92 Cold Case Death of Baby Girl in River.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 17 Aug. 2021, apnews.com/article/arrests-5ec49e3a0a265f66cec958f49aeda0fb. 

The article is about how a newborn baby was found dead by the Catawba River in Southern Carolina. The child had stab wounds, but coroners were able to detect that it was suffocation that killed the child, not the stab wounds. The case was closed till October 2020 where it was reopened with new DNA evidence that linked Stacy Rabon( the child's mother), who was arrested on drug charges in 2019, to the child. The child was named Angel Hope by the community around the river and they also paid for her to be buried.

The article is relevant because it shows that no matter how cold a case can get, new information can appear which can crack it wide open. The case was closed for nearly 30 years and within a year of it being reopened they had made an arrest. The article shows how the community came together to give a proper burial to a child that they didn’t even know. The author makes it clear that the case has “haunted our community for years” and that the solving of this case has given the community closure.

The article never really goes into depth about why the case was closed, the author just states that it was closed for nearly 30 years. Did the police have a hard time finding out who the mother was? Or did she just seem innocent at the time. The author doesn’t give much information about Stacy Rabon just that she was arrested for drug charges prior to the murder charges. One positive about the article was that the author showed how the community came together and deeply cared about the case. The community paid for the child to be buried and also stated that the community was haunted by the case.

 

posted for J. Balseiro 

Genetic Genealogy Nabs Suspect in 22-Year-Old Murder Case

 

“Genetic Genealogy Nabs Suspect in 22-Year-Old Murder Case.” Forensic®, 10 Sept. 2021, www.forensicmag.com/579149-Genetic-Genealogy-Nabs-Suspect-in-22-Year-Old-Murder-Case/.

Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief John Zebrowski of the Sayreville Police Department In Middlesex County, New Jersey, recently announced that a man has been arrested after being indicted by a grand jury for the 1999 murder of Nancy Noga. On January 7, 1999, Noga, a senior in high school, was reported missing after she did not return home from work. On January 12, 1999, at about 8:57 am, Noga's body was discovered in a wooded area behind a shopping plaza. It was later concluded that Noga died from blunt force trauma after being struck with a blunt object. For more than two decades, the case remained open and active as investigators continued to investigate her death. In the past month, Bruce Cymanski, 49, was indicted for first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping, and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the killing of Nancy Noga. He was partially identified through the use of genetic genealogy conducted by the Chief Genetic Genealogist of Parabon NanoLabs, CeCe Moore. “In the decades since Nancy Noga’s death, law enforcement has relentlessly pursued justice on her behalf. The advancement of modern scientific tools has allowed that endeavor to enter a new chapter,” he said.

This article is important in terms of forensic science because it shows how much the field has advanced and new methods have been developed in such a short span of about 20 years. When the murder was first committed, investigators didn’t have the technology necessary to solve the case but due to their relentlessness to cracking down on the case, they were finally able to solve it. It is also significant because it shows the general public an insight into how investigators use certain techniques to solve cases that have been open for a long time.

An area of improvement in this article would be to possibly explain the murderer’s motive and reasoning for committing the crime. This would help the audience understand more about the situation and why he chose a high school senior, for instance. Another area would be to explain more about what genetic genealogy is and what that means in terms of the case because some readers may not entirely understand it. However, the article is still well written and explains the details of the case concisely which aids the audience’s comprehension. It also includes a quote from the Chief Genetic Genealogist which helps strengthen the author’s credibility.

posted for K. Baclija