The mystery of 16-year-old double murder in Sweden was solved last year using data from genealogy websites, a method first used to identify and capture the “Golden State Killer” in 2018. Detailing the case in a new study, scientists in Sweden say it’s the first time this technology has been used to catch a murderer outside the US.
On October 19, 2004, an eight-year-old boy was stabbed to death while walking to school in the city of Linköping in southern Sweden. The attacker then turned on a 56-year-old woman who had just left her home and witnessed the event, stabbing her several times and leaving her for dead. The attacker fled the scene but left behind a knitted cap and the butterfly knife he used to kill the victims. Although traces of the murder’s DNA had been traced on the weapon, detectives ran out of leads and the investigation dried up.
Solving a double murder arouses international interest miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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IMAGE: Andreas Tillmar, docent and adjunct senior lecturer in forensic genetics at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University. view more
Credit: Edis Portori
The technology using DNA-based genealogy that solved a double murder in Linköping opens completely new possibilities in investigating serious crime. LiU researchers are now involved in spreading new knowledge about the technology, which brings hope to police forces and has aroused major international interest. We want to tell others about the problems that we faced when working with this pilot case, and how we dealt with them. We can prevent others reinventing the wheel, and make sure that the knowledge available is extended and improved , says Andreas Tillmar.
Source: Courtesy of Canada’s Department of National Defence
Forensic techniques can be used to identify and lay to rest casualties of war. In the photo, Private Kenneth Donald Duncanson, a second world war soldier whose remains were identified by Canada’s Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2016, is laid to rest with military honours by his unit in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery outside Bruges, Belgium.
Providing medical care, housing, food and a safe place are what many would list as humanitarian activities in response to armed conflict and catastrophes. Less often listed is the rendering of forensic science aid. But managing the dead with dignity, identifying them and providing answers to loved ones and communities are the aims of Humanitarian Forensic Action (HFA).
MALDI Technology Yields Biometric Data From Fingermarks forensicmag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forensicmag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.