Christine Burke provides specialized assistance with cold case investigations using forensic genetic genealogy and investigative genetic genealogy. Services include case triage, investigation planning, vendor evaluation, case review, and expert consultation.
Cold case genetic genealogy is the application of forensic genetic genealogy and investigative genetic genealogy to long-unsolved cases. It uses SNP DNA analysis, genetic genealogy research, and traditional investigation to develop leads in cases that have exhausted conventional methods. Cold cases often present unique challenges: degraded or limited evidence, incomplete documentation, changed relationships, and prior vendor work that may or may not have been done well.
Many cold cases have biological evidence that was never suitable for CODIS, or that failed to produce a CODIS match. SNP-based genetic genealogy can develop leads from that same evidence using a different kind of DNA analysis and a different set of databases. For cases that have gone years or decades without resolution, FGG/IGG can provide a new investigative path where traditional methods have been exhausted.
A cold case FGG/IGG engagement typically begins with case triage: reviewing the case file, the available evidence, and prior work to determine whether the case is a good candidate for genetic genealogy. Not every cold case is suitable. For suitable cases, the engagement moves into investigation planning, sample assessment, vendor selection, genealogy analysis, and lead development. The agency corroborates any lead through traditional investigation and confirmatory testing.