News & Events

The Mollie Tibbetts Investigation: the 33 day multi-agency search for the U of Iowa student that gripped the nation

Experience

Trent began his law enforcement career as a police officer for the Milwaukee, WI. Police Department where he severed as a patrol officer from 1996-2002. In 2002, Trent worked for the Coralville, Iowa Police Department as a patrol officer until 2006. In 2006, Trent joined the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and in 2007 was assigned to the Major Crimes Unit. Trent has presented to different organizations on cold case investigations and is an instructor on sexual assault investigations. Additionally, Trent served in the United States Army Reserve.

Genetic Genealogy and the Evolution of SNP Genotyping for Forensic Investigations

Experience

CeCe Moore, Chief Genetic Genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs, is an internationally recognized DNA investigative expert, educator and pioneer in the field of genetic genealogy. Starting in 2010, she began developing the now widely used genetic genealogy techniques that have become foundational and central aspects of the field. In 2013, she founded the DNA Detectives, one of the leading genetic genealogy educational resources with an online community of over 115,000 members, and was a key part of the team that created the foundational genetic genealogy coursework now taught by the premier genealogical institutes throughout the US. Since 2013, Ms. Moore has served as the genetic genealogy expert, trusted with analyzing the DNA of hundreds of high profile guests and their families for the PBS documentary television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. She is a highly sought-after genetic genealogy resource by major media outlets, including working as an ABC News Correspondent. Over the last year, CeCe has led Parabon’s Genetic Genealogy Division to 55 successful identifications in law enforcement investigations across the country.

Analysis of Cryptic Communications, Records, and Symbols

Experience

Scott Hull is a Supervisory Cryptanalyst Forensic Examiner in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Division’s Cryptanalysis & Racketeering Records Unit in Quantico, Virginia. From 1988 to 1992 Scott served as an Army Field Artillery Officer, serving in Germany and The Netherlands. After leaving active duty, Scott worked as a Computer Specialist for the US Government in The Netherlands, Italy and in the United States before transferring to the FBI in 2007 as a Cryptanalyst Forensic Examiner. Since that time he has been involved in the analysis of codes and ciphers involving domestic and international terrorists, violent criminals, and street and prison gangs. He has been recognized as a cryptanalysis expert in court on multiple occasions in the United States, and in Europe. Scott holds a B.S. in Mathematical Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.

The National Institute of Justice’s Cold Case Working Group and Best Practices Guide

Experience

Chuck received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and his Masters of Forensic Science from the George Washington University. He began his career in forensics by spending 3 years as a crime scene technician in Baltimore City where he processed over 2000 crime scenes. He then spent almost 12 years with the Montgomery County (MD) Crime Lab as a Forensic Scientist in the Forensic Biology Unit performing DNA analysis and a Forensic Specialist 2 in the Forensic Services Section processing crime scenes, chemically enhancing latent fingerprints, and enhancing digital images. He is currently a Senior Physical Scientist with the National Institute of Justice where he manages the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction, DNA Efficiency Improvement and Capacity Enhancement, Solving Cold Cases with DNA, Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence – Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting (SAFE-ITR), Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing programs, and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) program for which he was awarded the 2011 Samuel Hayman Service to America Medal in Justice and Law Enforcement. He is also very active in the DNA, cold case, and missing persons communities.

Digital Aspects in Homicide Investigation

Experience

Patrick Eller is the CEO of Metadata Forensics LLC and a 20 year law enforcement veteran with a masters degree in digital forensics and cyber investigations. Patrick is a subject matter expert in the field of digital forensics and cyber investigations. Patrick has run a global digital forensics program for the US Army and currently teaches digital forensics at the undergraduate and graduate levels for multiple Institutions. Patrick has presented at multiple Homicide training conferences across the country and teaches at the National Forensic Academy.

Crime Scene Staging and the Jeffery MacDonald Case

Experience

Steve began his law enforcement career in 1973 when he enlisted in the US Army as a Military Policeman. He remained in the MPs until 1981 when he was accepted into the US Army CID program as a Special Agent. As a CID Special Agent, Steve worked felony crimes at various military posts across the US and overseas. He later commanded three different CID units and in 2001 retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Four as the Operations Officer for a CID Battalion where he was responsible for the supervision of five different CID units and covered an eleven-state area of responsibility. Once retired Steve was employed by the Mississippi State Crime Lab as a senior crime scene analyst and conducted the examination of violent crime scenes across the Mississippi. In 2004 Steve was transferred from the crime lab to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) as the first Director of the MBI Cold Case unit, responsible for assisting police agencies across the state working on unresolved homicides. While working at the Crime lab and MBI, Steve and Grant Graham developed several different training courses for the Mississippi State Police Academy covering topics that included basic and advanced crime scenes, death investigations, and adult sex crimes.  Steve was also involved in the development and as an instructor of the Certified Investigator Program at the MS State Police Academy.  Steve has a master’s degree and undergrad degrees in Criminal Justice, is a Graduate of the FBI National Academy (Session 185) and has been a college adjunct instructor for Austin Peay State University, Clarksville TN, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS and Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia. He is a fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Science, and a member of the International Association for Identification (IAI), the International Homicide Investigators Association (IHIA) the North Carolina Homicide Investigator’s Association, and Southeastern Homicide Investigators Association. Steve is also the co-author of the text, Staged Crime Scenes: Investigating Suspect Misdirection of the Crime Scene, the co-author of the text Death Investigations: The Second Edition, and the author of Investigating Sexual Assault Cases.
Steve also has developed and instructs courses on Staged Crime Scenes, Adult Sex Crimes, Death Investigation, Basic Detective’s Course, and Crime Scene Examination.

April Tinsley: How Genetic Genealogy was used to solve a 30-year-old Cold case.

Experience

I have been a police officer for 25 years, the last 7 as a lead homicide detective. The last two years have been spent as the lead cold case detective within our department. I have been a member of the F.B.I. Northeast Indiana Bank Robbery Task Force for the past 7 years as well. Prior to my current assignment in the Homicide Division, I worked undercover narcotics for approximately 10 years. I also helped form the Clandestine Laboratory team and lead this team for two years. I have been a member of the Fort Wayne Police Department Emergency Services Team for the past 16 years, serving several years as an Assistant Squad leader. I have also worked a temporary duty assignment with the F.B.I. Safe Streets Task Force, with a focus on narcotics and violent street gangs.

I hold a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice from Indiana State University.

I have presented for several Law enforcement organizations, and University Criminal Justice programs. I am presenting in August 12-15 2019 in Dallas, TX. at the 2019 Crimes Against Children Conference, December 10 2019 Las Vegas, NV for P.A.T.C Homicide training seminar, November 11-15 2019 for the Southeastern Homicide Investigators Association.

I have also presented and been featured on 60 minutes, the BBC and just completed a documentary for a new ABC documentary “DNA Detectives” which set air summer of 2019. We have just received the Honorable Mention for the TOP COPS Awards to be presented May 12 2019 in Washington D.C

Genetic Genealogy Investigations Overview

Experience

Lori Napolitano is the Chief of Forensic Services for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE ). Currently, she is overseeing FDLE’s Statewide Genetic Genealogy Program and manages the Genetic Genealogy Investigations Team. Three cases have been solved as part of the program and a dozen more are in progress. She has been with FDLE for 29 years. In addition to working in Forensics, Lori worked in Investigations for several years as the supervisor of the investigative analysis unit. Her genetic genealogy experience began 3 years ago with her own family’s adoption issue. Now that genetic genealogy has intersected with law enforcement she is able to apply her skills help investigators solve crime. Lori has a Master’s degree in Chemistry from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Jacksonville University. She is a certified Florida Law Enforcement Analyst and has been a CJSTC Instructor and certified educator.

Genetic Genealogy Resolution to Cold Case Murder of Christine Franke

Experience

Detective Michael Fields is an experienced Homicide detective with the Orlando Police Department with 18 years investigative experience, including the last seven years in the Homicide unit. He has been in law enforcement for over twenty-four years. Throughout his career, Detective Fields has served in many capacities to include a variety of criminal and general investigations, street-level drug enforcement, undercover drug enforcement, property crimes, persons crimes, robbery, and homicide. Detective Fields has been assigned to Federal task forces and a Joint Homicide Investigative Team, which investigated homicides in municipalities in both Orange and Osceola counties.

Detective Fields has collaborated with numerous agencies within the United States. He has participated on the Domestic Violence Task Force, the Central Florida Fatality Review Board, the Orange County Heroin Overdose Task Force, and is currently a member of N.O.B.L.E.

Detective Fields has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from St. Leo University. Recently, Detective Fields was one of a few cases in the United States to successfully complete a Genetic Genealogy criminal case involving a cold case homicide from 2001.