FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK... Carol Henderson

NCSTL is pleased to announce its new COLD CASE TOOLKIT, available at www.ncstl.org/education. To commemorate this new section of our website, this issue of It’s Evident focuses on issues surrounding cold cases. Here’s what’s new:

• NCSTL.org's “one-stop-shop” database has grown to over 45,000 records and continues to develop and consolidate forensic-based information;


• NCSTL's Cold Case Toolkit contains the best links and resources about Cold Cases that can be found on the web. For more information on the Toolkit see FROM THE RESEARCH DESK in the next column;
  
  
• Hot Topics and other HOT Bibliographies and proceedings of the 2006 and 2005 National Conferences on Science, Technology and the Law were uploaded to NCSTL website;
  
  
• Dr. Kathy Reichs, producer of the hit TV series Bones and award winning novelist of nine books in the Temperance Brennan series, and Dr. Robert Dorion were NCSTL’s 2007 Lecture Series presenters in the Great Hall at Stetson College of Law in Gulfport on February 5, 2007. Their talk was titled: Forensic Anthropology: From Crime Scene to Crime Fiction and Forensic Dentistry. The Hall was filled to capacity and the event was broadcast live and received significant media attention;
  
  
• NCSTL produced web-based programs presented by: Drs. Baden and Dean, Dr. James Young, and Drs. Reichs and Dorion;
  
  
• To inform NCSTL’s constituency which includes law enforcement agents, legal professionals, scientists, engineers, educators, and technologists, NCSTL representatives attended conferences nationally and internationally. In February, NCSTL’s Director of Outreach and I made several presentations at the AAFS Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.

We, at NCSTL, are geared up for a busy 2007!

Stay tuned …

RESEARCH FOCUS
Emerging Forensic Identification Technologies: Heat Shock for Cold Cases
Marian Daggett, Research Attorney

Locating and identifying missing persons remains one of the most challenging aspects of forensic investigation. Part of the challenge lies in finding remains, while the much greater challenge involves identifying the remains and matching them to an actual person. Full Paper

RESEARCH EXTRA
Killing Time: The Application of John Doe Indictments to Keep Cases Warm
Catherine Guthrie, Research Attorney

One of the greatest frustrations associated with cold cases is that, thanks to statutes of limitation, the mere passage of time can place guilty individuals safely beyond the reach of law. Specifically, "a statute of limitations reflects a …" Full Paper

TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Using Computer Technology to Solve Cold Cases
Dr. Susan Zucker, Director Technology & Distance Education

Computer technology is used in forensics to solve crimes in a variety of ways. In addition to online databases devoted to DNA profiling, many other electronic databases and resources are important in solving cold and old cases. Full Paper

FROM THE RESEARCH DESK...NCSTL Cold Case Toolkit
Diana Botluk, Director of Research

Over the past three months, NCSTL researchers have been scouring the Internet to pull together the best links and resources about cold cases. Find out more

TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION NEWS
Dr. Susan Zucker is Director Technology & Distance Education and Publisher of It's Evident

Lots of new information has been added to the NCSTL website and some changes have been made during the first quarter of 2007. Find out more

NCSTL ACTIVITIES and PRESS: Find out where NCSTL staff has been and what we’ve been doing, as well as information about our publications, professional associations, and the press coverage we have received.