Forensic Science Student Organization

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Register now to attend the UC Davis student involvement fair!! We will be there from 4-6pm on Thursday, January 21st!! @ UC Davis

National Forensic Science Week, Day 7: Cold case: Gilgo Beach Murders As we conclude this awesome week, let's take a look at one of the popular cold cases from the East Coast: The Gilgo Beach Murders. ... Shannon Gilbert, a 24-year old woman who worked as an escort was reported missing on May 1, 2010. She was last seen fleeing her client's house in the Oak Beach area. During routine rounds in December 2010, a police officer and his dog discovered the first body- skeletal remains of a female. This fueled a more structured search resulting in the discovery of three more bodies in the same area, north of Ocean Parkway. Four more bodies were discovered near Gilgo Beach and Oak Beach area during March-April, 2011. Upon extending the search into Nassau County, a set of partial human remains and a skull were discovered. September 20, 2011: Police release- a. Sketches of two unidentified victims (an Asian male aged 17-23 years and a Jane Doe#6) b. Of the two sets of remains found in Nassau, one was declared to possibly be the toddler's mother. c. Photographs of jewelry found on the toddler and her mother's remains. d. The second set of remains found in Nassau county matched two legs that were found in a garbage bag, washed ashore on Fire Island in 1996. In December 2011, the remains of Shannon Gilbert were found in a marsh close to where she disappeared from. Her clothes were found a few days prior, in the same area. She is believed to have died after drowning. In May 2017, John Bittrolf, a carpenter from Manorville, Long Island, was convicted and sentenced for the murder of two escorts in 1993 & 1994 by DNA analysis. Robert Biancavilla, prosecutor from Suffolk County DA's office, announced a possible link between Bittrolf and at least one of the Gilgo Beach Murders. In January 2020, Geraldine Hart, Suffolk County Police Commissioner, released pictures of a belt with the initials WH or HM (depending on perspective) embossed in black leather, found at the crime scene during the initial investigations. No more details were given. Here are the links to related articles: https://www.nytimes.com//long-island-serial-killer-gilgo-b https://abcnews.go.com//police-reveal-significant-e/story Have a great weekend! #nationalforensicscienceweek #ucdforensicscience

National Forensic Science Week, Day 6: Digital Forensics With the rapid evolution of technology and our increasing dependence on it in our day-to-day lives, Digital Forensics is used more than ever. We are exposed to crimes including but not limited to malwares, ransomwares, cyber bullying, email and internet frauds, Identity thefts also through net banking, credit/debit cards, phishing, cyber extortion, child pornography, theft and resale of corporate or genetic data, and d...istributed denial-of-service attacks. The challenges faced by digital forensics experts are also quite a lot. Internet access is no longer a luxury. It's a necessity. This increases the likelihood and the frequency of crimes being committed. Data acquisition and manipulation is now easier than ever due to the numerous open-source softwares available. Cyber laws are not as strictly regulated and these laws vary drastically across the globe. That being said, experts from our community follow a strict workflow to help people and entities who are victims of these crimes. Image 4: Workflow of digital forensics Image 5: Steps in collection of digital evidence Image 10: A intriguing talk by criminalists Wim Develter and Bram Bekaer in Leuven. Here's a link to the video: https://youtu.be/5e35ebwGT8o What is your take on using Artificial Intelligence in Digital Forensics? Share your thoughts in the comments! The use of "deepfakes" is alarmingly common! Microsoft recently launched their "Video Authenticator" tool (which is absolutely free!) to aid people to detect these misleading videos and photographs, and help reduce the circulation of incorrect information. This is a related article: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53984114 Have a great evening, folks! #nationalforensicscienceweek #ucdavis #ucdforensicscience #davisfsso #forensicscience #forensics #digitalforensics #computerforensics

National Forensic Science Week, Day 5: DNA Analysis DNA Analysis is an increasingly popular aspect of forensic science. It functions on the principle that every individual has a unique DNA profile (with the exception of identical twins). The very unit of life makes each of us different, and hence forensic scientists use this technique for identification of individuals (inclusions or exclusions). ... Yesterday, we briefed you on Serology and mentioned that DNA analysis usually follows serological tests. Therefore, DNA analysis can be done on samples such as blood, saliva, vaginal fluids, skin cells, hair, etc that can be found on various items from the crime scene or the individuals themselves. The general workflow for DNA analysis is: Extraction of DNA from samples--> Amplification of the DNA (we're trying to make photocopies of the DNA so we have a larger amount to work with)--> Separation of the amplified DNA--> Interpretation and Statistics. Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is the database of DNA profiles from arrested individuals, convicted individuals, and missing persons database (the latter is used specifically for solving missing persons identification cases only). Image 7: DNA Profile used in FOR 281, Forensic Science Program, UC Davis. Image 8: CODIS Structure, fbi.gov Stay safe, y'all! #nationalforensicscienceweek #ucdavis #ucdforensicscience #davisfsso #forensicscience #forensics #ForensicDNA #dnaanalysis #forensicdnaanalysis