Denise will be accepting clients December 2025.
Until then, look through posts from her new blog, check out the company’s services, or learn about active and recently solved cases from our local law enforcement. See how a professor turned forensic ecologist inspects a crime scene for clues, and discover how a eureka moment in a university lab led to the discovery of DNA fingerprinting.
Using clay, artistry and time-honored techniques, a forensic artist—in partnership with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO)—produced this likeness of a woman murdered in 1973. The case was featured in the premiere episode of the agency’s video series Detective Desk – LCSO Cold Cases which you can view on Instagram or Facebook.
→ In addition to the 3D rendering, LCSO has additional images at their website of what Jane Doe may have looked like. (The photo is used with permission from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.)
..........................
When: May, 1973
Who: Unidentified female, age: late 20s - early 30s
Where: Found deceased by farmhands in Lincoln, Virginia
What: Gunshots
Features: 5' 7" tall, black hair, 145 lbs., wore purple & red nail polish and a ring with a blue stone
Family: Potential surnames: Booker, Shepherd, and Loving
Along with writing “cat-chy” headlines, the University of Leicester (U.K.) has developed a new technique to extract DNA from pet hair. In a 2023 study published in Forensic Science International: Genetics, researchers concluded: “Through these means it is now possible to discriminate between individual cats to a much greater degree when considering cat hairs or other degraded DNA sources as evidential material.”
→ Get article and link to study at University of Leicester (U.K.)
In August, Fairfax County Police Department (Va.) gave an update on the 1972 case of Carl Matthew Bryant, a four-year old found deceased in a creek underneath a bridge.
But a mystery remains. What happened to his infant brother, James?
→ See FCPD’s press release and press conference video.
In the journal, Genes, a University of New Haven professor discusses this relatively new tool in cold case investigations.
→ Download paper (for free) at the National Library of Medicine.
Cold Cases, Etcetera shares selected news from local national–and some international media about cold cases, forensics, research tools and more. Subscribe for free to be alerted of the latest posts.
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