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Tag: MUHR

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Highlights

DeKalb DA announces break in 30-year-old homicide case, Rebecca Burke identified

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office has been awarded a three-year Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program grant in the amount of $500,000 to identify the remains of 27 individuals found in DeKalb County. The DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force will use these funds to catalog, report, test, identify and return to families the unidentified remains of 27 individuals, including Burke’s remains. To date, some remains have been housed at the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office. Others are buried and will be exhumed to begin the process of identification.
March 2023
Publications

Forensic Genetic Genealogy Laboratory Considerations and Technology Limitations

The application of forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) has technological limitations and will not resolve every case. By taking the time to thoroughly evaluate cases and associated evidence with both local crime laboratory representatives and FGG vendor laboratory representatives, law enforcement investigators can greatly increase the chances of attaining successful case resolutions with FGG. This brief provides the SAKI TTA Team’s guidance on evidence submission based on current successes seen within the field and suggested questions to consider when choosing a FGG laboratory vendor [Description provided by the SAKI TTA website].
October 2022
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices, 2018

This report provides data on the personnel, budget, workload, and policies of medical examiner and coroner offices in the United States. The report details the number and type of personnel employed, staff certification, and training. It includes the number of cases referred to and accepted by medical examiner and coroner offices, the number of autopsies conducted, and the number of decedents with unidentified remains on record, including the percentage from which DNA evidence has been collected. Findings are based on data from BJS’s 2018 and 2004 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices [Description provided by the BJS website].
November 2021
National Institute of Justice

Report to Congress: Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices

This report, which was mandated by The Justice for All Reauthorization Act of 2016, details the results of a national needs assessment of forensic science service providers conducted in 2017 and 2018. The needs assessment focused on services provided by forensic laboratories, medical examiner and coroner offices, and other forensic science service providers. As forensic analyses have expanded and become more sensitive, and as practitioners have established more evidence-based policies and capabilities, the broad demand for forensics has grown. Forensic laboratories and medical examiner and coroner offices are constantly working to address the needs of the field, balancing operational priorities to meet stakeholder requests while introducing innovative solutions to solve emerging criminal justice questions. This needs assessment compiled demonstrative evidence of how the field is adapting to advancements in technology, the volume and types of forensic evidence, and the evolving needs of the justice system [Description provided by the NIJ website].
December 2019
Office of Justice Programs

Investigating Violent Crime: The Prosecutor’s Role – Lessons Learned From the Field

Based on the discussions of seasoned prosecutors of violent crime who met in 2017 to examine how to improve the investigation of violent crimes, this paper reviews the various phases of an investigation and provides an overview of issues discussed, along with representative descriptions of the approaches used and challenges faced by the jurisdictions represented [Description provided by the OJP website].
June 2019
Office of Justice Programs

Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System: Improving Data Systems

In this report, the National Science and Technology Council’s Fast-Track Action Committee on Strengthening the Medicolegal-Death-Investigation System (FTAC-SMDIS) presents recommendations for appropriate federal departments and agencies on how to address issues related to accessing and working with data produced by medical examiners and coroners (ME/C) [Description provided by the OJP website].
September 2016