In this episode of 'Secrets from the Crime Lab,' host Angela Swarts returns after a brief hiatus to delve into an enlightening conversation with William Losefsky of Investigative Concepts. With a background in law enforcement and extensive experience in private investigation, Losefsky shares his expertise in forensic death investigation, drug diversion in hospitals, and statement analysis. He emphasizes the importance of unbiased investigation and provides insights into how defense investigat...
Feb 19, 2025
1 hr 16 min
Part II of George Schiro’s story about his involvement in unraveling the identity of the notorious Zodiac Killer. What did he find in his examination of the alleged DNA profile of the Zodiac and Gary Stewart? Is Gary Stewart the biological son of the infamous Zodiac? This is part II! Be sure to listen to Part I first to get the whole story! To learn more about or to contact the guest, George Schiro, M.S., visit his website. Links to materials mentioned in this episode: ABC Primetime 2002 (wh...
Oct 5, 2023
35 min
The Zodiac case remains one of the most notorious unsolved murder mysteries in American history, and it continues to capture public interest and speculation. The self-proclaimed Zodiac killer was a serial killer who operated in Northern California, primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2014 a man named Gary L. Stewart published a book, co-written by journalist Susan Mustafa, The Most Dangerous Animal of All, about how he came to the conclusion that his biological father was the Zodi...
Jun 27, 2023
38 min
On this episode I spoke with Det. Zack Kowalske, an expert in bloodstain pattern analysis, crime scene reconstruction, and a pioneer in Space Forensics! We discussed BPA (bloodstain pattern analysis), some concerns in the field (error rates), and Zack's research on bloodstain pattern analysis in microgravity. Support the Show! Become a subscriber: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1936265/supporters/new Make a one-time contribution (uses Paypal): Buy Me a Coffee Get Zack's new book: "Gaming the Re...
Mar 9, 2023
50 min
"The role of a forensic science defence expert is often referred to by those working for the police/state/government forensic labs as being on the "dark side." In Joining the Dark Side, author David Schudel outlines the evolution of a fascinating career that starts out in the dark side and looks at what problems can appear in forensic cases. The book delves into the problems inherent to forensic science, in particular cognitive bias and scientific philosophy. It also looks at the emotional im...
Jan 5, 2023
1 hr 6 min
In this episode I spoke with Dr. Itiel Dror, a cognitive neuroscientist known in the forensic realm for his contributions to revealing the unconscious implicit biases in forensic decisions and providing tools to minimize them. He recently published several papers examining - for the first time - cognitive bias in forensic pathology. The Maryland Attorney General has announced an independent audit of in-custody death determinations made by the OCME during the tenure of Dr. David Fowler. Dr. ...
Nov 8, 2022
1 hr 30 min
Massively Parallel Sequencing has revolutionized laboratories' ability to harness more and more information from our genetics. This has led to massive improvements in medical diagnostics, public health (think SARs-CoV-2 variant identification), ancestry determinations, and now forensic science has begun adapting this technology to criminal investigations. In this episode I speak with Professor Megan Foley, Teresa Snyder-Leiby, and Sarah Copeland about the challenges laboratories are facing a...
Jul 27, 2022
50 min
Epigenetics: The clothes of your DNA. While the DNA sequence contains the instructions, your epigenome controls which part of the instructions are read and used. But how do we use this in forensic science? Learn more about biomarkers linked to smoking, age predication, differentiating between identical twins, narrowing the suspect pool, generating investigative leads, and more. Athina Vidaki, PhD, with Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam Netherlands, is a professor of Applied Epigenomics. Her...
Apr 21, 2022
51 min
New Technology is great...but let's use it to catch the right person. In this episode I spoke with Professors Dr. Matthias Wienroth and Dr. Carol McCartney, two of the authors of "Ethics as Lived Practice. Anticipatory Capacity and Ethical Decision-Making in Forensic Genetics". It's a fascinating discussion about forensic genetics and the rapidly evolving technologies from the perspective of a social scientist and law professor. Read the full text article: Ethics as Lived Practice. Anti...
Apr 10, 2022
1 hr 3 min
DNA as the "Biological Witness". Forensic DNA Phenotyping predicts the externally visible characteristics - i.e. what a person may look like - from their biological material. It has applications in criminal investigations when other leads have failed, missing persons identification, and anthropological research. To learn more about the host visit https://practicalforensics.science/ Join our discussion and let us know your thoughts. E: [email protected] OR Join our Faceb...
Mar 28, 2022
27 min
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