Nov 23, 2020
Are you a mystery fan who also
loves science? This podcast is for you! Considered the founder of
modern forensic genealogy, Colleen Fitzpatrick shares how genetic
genealogy works.
Listen and learn
Real genetic genealogy crime
mysteries aren't solved after the next commercial, says Colleen
Fitzpatrick. "It's hard," she adds. "It's not a couple-of-hours
deal." Based in Southern California, Identifinders International
helps find people, alive or
deceased. They might help solve issues around unclaimed property or
fraud cases as well as identifying victims and perpetrators in
violent crimes.
Colleen Fitzpatrick actually has a doctorate in nuclear physics, so
is no stranger to the hard sciences. In 2011, it occurred to her
that the markers people used in genetic genealogy were the same
markers forensic science was using to get crime scene Y chromosome
DNA profiles. She realized she could take a forensic Y DNA profile
and compare it to genetic genealogy databases and identify the last
name of a criminal.
In 2015, the Phoenix Police
Department hired her to apply genetic genealogy to cold cases and
her work helped solve the Phoenix Canal Murders. She tells
listeners some of the intricacies of this case, including how she
helped narrow the suspect list from thousands to a list of five,
and then, after a little more police work, helped correctly
identify the killer.
She shares more examples of genetic genealogy solved cases and
discusses how those interested in the field might start practicing
the kind of work she does. She also explains upcoming advancements
in the field, including knowing "more and more with less and less,"
integration of mapping and facial reconstruction, and better
technology over all.
For more about her work and
company, see their website: identifinders.com.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK