Arraignment set over for suspected serial killer in 1974 murder case

Using DNA evidence from Martha Morrison's half-brother, sister and the exhumed body of her father, investigators were able to identify the decades-old remains July 7, 2015. January 10, 2020 Arraignment for suspected serial killer Warren Forrest, who's accused in the slaying of 17-year-old Martha Morrison in the 1970s, was set over Friday to Feb. 7....

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Five years later, authorities address rape kit backlog in Flint

Leyton said in the last five years, they've been able to process all 736 backlogged rape kits, sending them to the lab. Enter Article DATE HERE FLINT, Mich — In 2015, between 230 and 250 untested rape kits were found in the city of Flint. The police chief at the time, Jim Tolbert, said authorities in the past dropped the ball. "When we were al...

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Emerging field of ‘forensic genealogy’ links DNA testing and family histories to solve cold cases

Packed with DNA, hair is quickly becoming a powerful source to help catch lawbreakers. January 18, 2020 SANTA CRUZ — When they're planning to rob a liquor store, most criminals think to wear gloves and cover their faces. But few of them commit to shaving their heads to avoid leaving behind even a single strand of hair. In the future, however, they ...

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Philadelphia To Pay $4.15M To Man Over Wrongful Conviction

"It's a happy moment for me. It's been a long hard fight," January 3, 2020 PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The city of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $4.15 million to a man who spent 24 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, one of the largest such payouts in city history. City officials agreed last week to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by Shaurn...

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Former U.P. police officers face felony charges for alleged steroid use, distribution

The men were caught after one of their cell phones was searched during an investigation into prescription drugs missing from a police department take-back box, January 17, 2020 MARQUETTE, MI – Two former Upper Peninsula police officers are facing felony charges related to using and selling anabolic steroids, which are schedule three controlled subs...

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Report: Police department evidence room has serious issues

Issues with the evidence room came to light after the department discovered it lost evidence in the 2017 Selena Valencia murder case. January 11, 2020 The Santa Fe Police Department's evidence room is understaffed, its employees are undertrained, items are held in no logical order and at least one area is secured with only a $10 Master Lock, accord...

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Man arrested for 19-year-old cold case murder

"After all these years, my dad will finally be able to rest in peace and our family will be able to rest a little better at night knowing that the person who did this is finally getting what he deserves, January 14, 2020 OMAHA, Neb. (FOX 42 KPTM) — The family of a man who was murdered 19 years ago is now getting justice. Metro Area Fugitive Task Fo...

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Clovis Police detective charged with embezzling

In December,  Capt Romero found $144 in crumpled cash while searching Hernandez's desk in his office; Romero was looking for drug paraphernalia that had gone missing in an unrelated case. January 14, 2020 CLOVIS, N.M. — A Clovis police detective has been charged with embezzling $166 from a man he arrested in June. Francisco Hernandez, 33, face...

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Boswell police officer arrested for pawning department firearms

Karr pawned four department weapons. January 17, 2020 BOSWELL, Okla. (KXII) - A Boswell, Oklahoma, police officer was arrested Monday accused of pawning department firearms. The Oklahoma State Bureau Of Investigation tells us an investigation last month revealed Shawn Karr pawned four department weapons. The 33-year-old was arrested Monday at Boswe...

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Margate cop fired after cocaine went missing

Investigators determined nothing had been turned into the agency's property evidence room. January 11, 2020 A Margate police officer has been fired after falling under suspicion of taking a man's cocaine and later testing positive for drugs, according to newly released police records. An anonymous police employee tipped off the police department ab...

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Former Mansfield OSHP trooper indicted on 3 criminal charges

"it was found that you mishandled seized prescription drugs and were untruthful when asked about their whereabouts, January 8, 2020​ MANSFIELD -- A former Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper at the Mansfield post has been indicted on three felony charges after an internal investigation into missing drugs seized at a car stop. According to a Dec. 27 t...

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SDPD Crime Lab Manager Is Officially Out Following Rape Kit Testing Scandal

After arguing for years that there was no value in testing the roughly 2,000 untested rape kits in its possession, SDPD eventually began testing certain kits due to pressure from elected decision-makers. January 7, 2020 The longtime manager of the San Diego Police Department's crime lab no longer works for the department. Her departure is the lates...

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Sheriff's department prepares to destroy unclaimed weapons

Leer said anyone with ownership interest or can prove ownership should contact the Boone County Sheriff's Department by Jan. 10 and ask to speak with the evidence custodians. January 7, 2020 COLUMBIA — The Boone County Sheriff's Department said Monday it is preparing to destroy any weapons left unclaimed by Jan. 10. For more than a decade, departme...

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Santa Fe police awaits results of evidence room audit

Jennifer Burrill, vice president of the New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said a third-party audit is a step in the right direction for the department. January 4, 2020 More than six months after the Santa Fe Police Department told the District Attorney's Office it had lost evidence in a first-degree murder case, it's still unknown ho...

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What's lurking in TPD's evidence room? 'You name it, we got it'

Property cards dating back to the early 1900s provide a log of everything once there. Enter Article DATE HERE Every time Sgt. Edward Mack passes the box of evidence in Jane Doe's unsolved 1987 homicide, he raps his knuckles on the cardboard and tells her, "I'll find you." And sometimes, she seems to answer back — once after pulling her box he ...

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Arrest made in 2005 cold case murder of 79-year-old woman in Pasco County

He lived about two blocks away from Bobrick and was tied to these crimes with a few key pieces of evidence; including one of his hairs found in her home. December 27, 2019 ASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A more than 14-year-old cold case murder investigation was heating up in Pasco County on Friday. Brian Stoll, 34, was arrested and accused of beating to death...

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New DNA Evidence Solved 36-Year-Old La Mesa Cold-Case Murder

Police closed the case in 1984 and it went unsolved until 2017, when the department reopened the case and conducted a full review of the evidence, December 16, 2019 New DNA evidence helped La Mesa police solved a nearly 36-year-old cold-case murder, officials announced Monday. La Mesa police said William Mambro was stabbed to death during a residen...

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Trump signs bill to help eliminate backlog in rape kit testing

More than 100,000 rape kits remain untested. January 1, 2020 President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that provides funding to help states eliminate backlogs in rape kit testing. The measure, signed Monday, will help deal with the more than 100,000 rape kits across the country that remain untested. Advocates say that, without proper f...

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Did OC Sheriff Don Barnes sit on evidence audit to further his 2018 election campaign?

He calls the charge by an assistant public defender 'scandalous conjecture,' insisting he did not hide findings from the damaging audit December 30, 2019 An internal audit showing Orange County sheriff's deputies systemically mishandled evidence arrived in March 2018 while then Undersheriff Don Barnes was campaigning for the sheriff's job. As Barne...

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Police search for owners of caged lizards found on Massachusetts street: 'This is not a misprint'

​Got Something - Your may not want! December 29, 2019 Police in Massachusetts are searching for the owner of several lizards that were found abandoned in cages on a street. The Stoughton Police Department posted photos of the reptiles on its Facebook page and asked for the owners to claim them. "Have you ever walked down the street carrying your li...

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Snatched beer mug, genealogy website help Douglas County detectives make arrest in 1980 murder of college student


Detectives used online genealogy databases and help from private companies to wade through Clanton's unorthodox family and numerous aliases to identify him as the suspect. December 28, 2019 A secretly snagged beer mug — and the DNA it carried — was the final piece of evidence the Douglas County sheriff's detectives needed to arrest a Florida man in...

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Forensic Felons: Criminals in the Oregon Crime Labs

Larsen pled guilty to tampering with evidence and theft of Schedule II type drugs through direct access to evidence in lockers while working out of Bend and Pendleton Oregon December 27, 2019 Nika Elise Larsen, a forensic scientist and crime scene investigator for Oregon State Police Crime Lab, faced a federal court on Aug. 15, 2016. Larsen pled gu...

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Old Town Police Department Receives High Honors From The State

At the Old Town Police Department, is something of a Cinderella story December 18, 2019 In some ways, the scene at the Old Town Police Department, is something of a Cinderella story. They've gone from probably their lowest point ever, to as high a point as a police department can go. And it seems from here, the sky's the limit. Just a few years ago...

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Surveillance Footage of Jeffrey Epstein's First Suicide Attempt Has Gone Missing (Missing Evidence!)

"We want to be sure that all the evidence is preserved to show that Nick behaved appropriately and even admirably that evening, December 18, 2019 The New York Post has learned that the surveillance footage taken outside the cell of Jeffrey Epstein during his first alleged suicide attempt at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York has gone ...

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Nearly $900 found in Lawrenceburg returned to rightful owner thanks to man's good deed

The Lawrenceburg Police Department knew when they posted about it on Facebook, they needed to be vague yet specific December 15, 2020 LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (WKRC) - Nearly $900 found in downtown Lawrenceburg is back with its rightful owner. The Good Samaritan who discovered the cash only hesitated for a moment before turning it over to police. Decorat...

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Alleged drug dealer throws loose fentanyl powder at cop’s face

"The officer exhibited fentanyl-related symptoms, including nausea and shortness of breath and was treated by emergency responders," December 15 An alleged narcotics dealer tossed a handful of deadly fentanyl powder at a cop investigating a Bronx drug packaging mill, authorities said Thursday. Members of the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcemen...

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DNA Used to Solve Decades-Old Cold Case Murder of 11-Year-Old Julie Fuller

Victim, family were staying in an Arlington hotel after recently moving to North Texas from England December 14, 2019 Fort Worth police say they've solved the decades-old cold case murder of an 11-year-old girl using DNA phenotyping. On June 27, 1983, Julie Fuller was reported missing after she'd gone to take out the trash at the Kensington Motel i...

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Man arrested in connection with 37-year-old cold case

"The implication of being able to solve these cases is immense. December 13, 2019 SALT LAKE CITY — Authorities in Salt Lake City made an arrest in a 37-year-old cold case, according to a press release issued Wednesday. Detectives from the Salt Lake City Police Department Homicide Squad said they have arrested Bryan Reed, 55. Reed is currently await...

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More than half of police, prosecutors miss N.Y. rape kit deadline

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers approved a law last year requiring the timely testing of rape kits, which contain physical evidence collected from the body and clothing of a victim in a possible sexual assault. December 13, 2019 ALBANY, N.Y. — More than half of New York's police agencies and prosecutors to report the number of untested sexual...

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NJ-Based Aunt, Cops Help ID Remains of Child in Decades-Old Cold Case

The young girl's death was ruled a homicide. December 12, 2019 After nearly half a century, New Jersey State Police used newly gathered DNA evidence from a hopeful aunt to help investigators in San Francisco identify the remains of a murdered 14-year-old girl. It was Oct. 1, 1976, when a man walking his dog "discovered a hand protruding from the sa...

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Man arrested, charged in connection to 1992 St. Paul unsolved homicide (DNA)

In 2012, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office opened a specialized unit focused on closing cold cases. December 13, 20-19 Updated: December 11, 2019 10:09 PM A man has been arrested and charged in connection to the 1992 death of Annette Seymour, according to attorneys and court records. A criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County, states John Robert...

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Convicted killer charged in grisly 1980 killing of teen mom (DNA)

Charges come after DNA match in cold case December 13, 2019 Nearly 40 years after a 19-year-old mother was raped and killed in a Boston hotel room, the man authorities believe is responsible for her death has been charged, the Suffolk District Attorney's office announced Thursday. Steven Fike, a convicted rapist and murderer currently imprisoned in...

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Kentucky State Police troopers claim fellow officers stole evidence

The only stolen evidence specifically identified in the suit are three pairs of Eddie Bauer shoes. December 12, 2019 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Three Kentucky State Police commanding officers have filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the state and department, claiming they were retaliated against for reporting that troopers were stealing evidence se...

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OC sheriff’s officials selective in punishing deputies who mishandled evidence over two-year period

Deputies in the 'cool kids club' were spared, while others were scapegoated, ex-sergeant testifies in confidential hearing December 6, 2019 Orange County sheriff's officials selectively punished deputies who mishandled evidence over a two-year period, protecting some employees deemed to be in the "cool kids club,"' according to recent testimony dur...

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Greenville (NC) police lose evidence in 1975 Looper murders amid review of the case

Greenville Police Department has been unable to find the evidence after searching investigator work stations, case files, and storage areas. December 5, 2019 A recently discovered letter that could implicate a former Greenville County sheriff and members of his team in the 1975 murder of a deputy and his father is missing. Greenville police found t...

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Evidence tampering alleged in Eddie Johnson firing case

Officials noticed that the phone was damaged when the woman left then-Superintendent Eddie Johnson's security detail to join the evidence and recovered property unit, December 2019 CHICAGO - A female Chicago police officer who was reportedly seen on video drinking with and kissing the now-fired police superintendent the night he was found asleep be...

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Updated: Former Orangeburg police captain charged; audit shows $17,000 missing from evidence

A warrant accuses Shultz of removing confiscated money from the ODPS evidence room. November 20, 2019 Former Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. Carl Wayne Shultz is accused of taking $17,167.58 in confiscated money while he was employed as an officer.The S.C. Law Enforcement Division has charged the 48-year-old Shultz with one count of mi...

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Genealogical databases are a goldmine for police | Critics cite few rules, little transparency

Enter Headline here November 25, 2019 Orlando police detective Michael Fields was sure he had the break he needed right in front of him to close in on a serial rapist: a list of people whose DNA partially matched the man he hunted. Then the list disappeared. After a year of criticism from privacy advocates and genealogy experts, the owner of a popu...

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Dozens of Orange County sheriff’s deputies lied about booking evidence, second audit finds

DA concerned about possible unfair convictions in 57 cases where evidence was found to be missing November 29, 2019 More than 50 Orange County sheriff's deputies lied by reporting they had booked evidence in criminal cases when they had not, a second internal audit has found, creating fears that some defendants may have been convicted unfairly. Evi...

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More than 6,000 sex assault kits in Missouri are untested. Kansas City has the most

We have failed survivors of sexual assault," said Matthew Huffman, spokesman for Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. November 30, 2019 Jackson County has the highest number of untested sexual assault kits in the state, with more than 2,300 kits stored at area police departments and health facilities, a report from the Missouri ...

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CA Defender Cites ‘Disastrous’ Mishandling of Cases

The first audit looked at almost 99,000 police reports over two years November 29, 2019 A rapidly growing evidence scandal has swept the Orange County Sheriff's Department and threatens to alter the criminal justice landscape in one of California's largest counties, reports the Sacramento Bee. Guilty people could go free, and innocent suspects have...

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Wrongful conviction: 3 Baltimore men freed after spending 36 years in prison for teen's murder

Lawyers involved in the case said they were "horrified" to see the amount of exculpatory evidence that was hidden from the defense team and jury. November 26, 2019 Three Baltimore men who spent 36 years in prison were released Monday after authorities say they were falsely convicted of a 1983 murder. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewa...

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Former Harrison County deputy found guilty of distributing heroin to confidential informants

Trial evidence established that Rock acquired the FLIGHT 18 heroin from the evidence lockers at the now-defunct SCAD Unit Enter Article DATE HERE CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – A former Harrison County Sheriff's Deputy who in August was found guilty on 18 state charges related to falsifying documents has now been found guilty on federal drug charges for ...

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No jail time for Elizabeth Boro ex-police chief who stole heroin from evidence room

Butler explained he became addicted after taking prescribed Vicodin (opioid painkillers) for neck and back pain and blamed the doctors Enter Article DATE HERE Former Elizabeth Borough police Chief Timothy Butler will not serve any jail time after pleading guilty to emptying his department's evidence room of thousands of packets of heroin to fe...

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South African prosecutor dies after gun accidentally discharges in courtroom, report says

"It is alleged the weapon was brought to court to be entered as evidence in a house robbery case when it accidentally discharged in court." November 20, 2019 A South African prosecutor reportedly has died this week after a gun brought inside a courtroom as part of the evidence in a home robbery case accidentally discharged – striking her in the hip...

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Wetumpka Police Officer Faces Felony Theft Charges for Items Stolen from Station Evidence Room

The State Bureau of Investigations is investigating the case.​ November 20, 2019 Former Wetumpka police officer, Sean Blackburn, faces felony charges. Blackburn has been charged with with 2 counts of second degree theft. Elmore County District Attorney, Randall Houston, couldn't go into specifics about what was stolen, but it was items from the evi...

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4 OC Deputies Fired After Allegations of Systemic Problems With Booking Evidence

"The audits determined there were systemic problems with evidence being booked outside policy," November 18, 2019 A defense attorney behind allegations of abuses of a confidential informant program with Orange County's jails is now alleging systemic problems with the booking of evidence in cases, prompting a sheriff's spokeswoman to announce Monday...

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1463 Hits

Hollywood Police Department says missing evidence a thing of the past

"We believe the practices we have in place will prevent any problems in the future," November 20, 2019 When Hollywood police failed to keep track of their evidence room — losing $137,609 in cash and 1,096 pills — they got a sharp rebuke from a county watchdog agency for not catching the colossal error. The missing evidence cost the police departmen...

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Provo changes city code to help police deal with 400 confiscated guns being held

According to Doris Grant, supervisor of the evidence room, there are about 400 guns being held. Altered or damaged guns like those with rust must be destroyed. November 18, 2019 Provo's Police Department is held to strict regulations when it comes to caring for and getting rid of confiscated guns. On Tuesday, the Provo Municipal Council realigned t...

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Justice for all? Not lately in New Mexico

When a police department's evidence room needs to be audited because procedures weren't being followed, there ought to be hell to pay. Enter Article DATE HERE Here's the problem with the criminal justice system: What looks simple from the outside is never so cut and dried from within. That's what police, prosecutors and the judiciary tell (and...

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