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 

Inside The Lives Of Synchronous Fireflies

 Lorelei Heath

Mr. Ippolito 

Biology - Current Event 2

October 1, 2020

“Inside the Secret Lives of Synchronous Fireflies.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923090412.htm

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200923090412.htm

Ever since we were kids, collecting fireflies at night was the best and fun activity to do on summer nights. In 2019 groups of hikers came to visit The Smoky Mountains National Park because of a species of fireflies that put on a spectacular light show. Scientists at first did not understand the cause of these synchronized lights, but then came to a hypothesis: “Rather than flash according to some innate rhythm, the fireflies seem to observe what their neighbors are doing, then adjust their behavior to match.” Scientists like Orit Peleg and Raphael Sarfati, believe these luminous insects are competing for human sources of light. However, the light show doesn’t last long. The species Photinus carolinus only flashes for about a span of two weeks in the month of June. Still today, scientists still don’t know the real explanation of how synchronization works. "Is it something hardwired in fireflies that makes them want to synchronize?" Sarfati said. "Or is it something more context-dependent, may be based on their environment?" With these questions, researchers knew they had to see it for themselves. 

When the researchers arrived at The Smoky Mountains National Park, they set up camp. They placed two 360-degree cameras in the wooded forest, “a new technological approach that allowed the team to map out the locations of the bugs flashing in their vicinity.” When they isolated one of the fireflies from the group, they found that the light pattern was completely different. However, when they put twenty together, the insects' lights became the same. That is when the researchers came up with this theory: “...their light displays seem to be more social. Bugs watch what their neighbors are doing and try to follow along.” The researchers found out that the fireflies act the same way the cells in our hearts do and the neurons in our brains, all synchronized. 

I, personally, was very surprised and intrigued by this reading. It was very insightful about the happenings of fireflies and the research behind the light show up in The Smoky Mountain National Park. However, I thought the author could have added more information about the data they collected along with the many theories and hypotheses they thought of. I also would have liked to see a comparison of a different species to see how different the photinus carolinus is.