Latest news with #CombinedDNAIndexSystem
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Woman found dead in Florida 45 years ago was killed by husband who dumped son's body in lake: BCSO
The Brief The Bay County Sheriff's Office says it now knows the identity of a woman whose body was found in a shallow grave in 1980 and who likely killed her. Investigators believe the remains are of Carol Skidmore, who disappeared in 1977 while traveling with her husband and her son. The body of Skidmore's 5-year-old son was found in a lake in Tennessee in May 1977 and her husband was found dead in a motel room from a drug overdose/suicide in June 1977, according to BCSO. FOUNTAIN, Fla. - Deputies in Bay County say they now know the identity of a woman whose body was found in a shallow grave in 1980 and who likely killed her. The backstory According to the Bay County Sheriff's Office, three hunters found the remains of a woman in a shallow grave in 1980 about half a mile west of Highway 231, north of Fountain. Initially, investigators thought the remains may have been JoAnn Benner, who was reported missing in 1976. Her body had not been found, and foul play was suspected. The remains were sent to the FSU Anthropology lab and examined. Investigators said Benner was ruled out because she had injuries that these remains did not have. Foul play was suspected because of the damage done to the clothing found with the skeletal remains. While reviewing the Benner case and reading about the mysterious skeletal remains, cold case investigators with BCSO, which includes retired investigators and active employees, teamed with the Crime Scene Unit to use technology unknown in 1980 to identify the mystery woman. READ:Mother of murdered teen calls Ronny Walker a 'natural-born killer' as jury spares his life Investigators submitted a tooth from the remains to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for a DNA profile. This profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Investigators said they got two matches. They explained that two people in Texas had previously submitted DNA because they had a sister that had been reported missing. BCSO said once there was a match identified, the Center for Human Identification conducted a kinship analysis to determine if the remains were those of a family member to the two siblings and issued a final report. It stated that the remains belonged to their sister Carol Sue Skidmore, who disappeared in 1977. Timeline According to BCSO, Carol Skidmore, her husband, James Ronald Skidmore, and her 5-year-old son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy, left their home in Sealy, Texas, to visit James' parents in Rossville, Georgia in March 1977. They wanted to "put their marriage back together". Investigators said they left on March 29, 1977, and were last heard of on April 9, 1977, when Carol Skidmore contacted her parents and told them she wasn't sure when they would be back. In May 1977, a child's body was found in Parksville Lake in Tennessee. Investigators said the boy was a victim of homicide. The body, wrapped in plastic and weighed down, appeared to have been in place for a few weeks. READ: Florida man accused of threatening federal attorney with 'a slow and painful death' indicted In June 1977, the FBI confirmed that the body was of Carol Skidmore's son, Lynn Dale Mahaffy. On June 1, 1977, Carol Skidmore's husband, James, was found dead in a hotel room in Harrison, Arkansas due to a drug overdose/suicide. Investigators said a suicide note was found with his body stating, "things weren't working out for him." Authorities searched for his wife, Carol Skidmore, with no success. She was listed as missing. Investigators believe that James Ronald Skidmore killed Carol Skidmore, burying her body in a shallow grave in Bay County, and her son, Lynn, leaving his body in a lake in Tennessee, and then himself. Investigators contacted Carol Skidmore's family and though one of her siblings had passed away, they said her brother was grateful to get word about his sister, to finally know what happened to her and have closure. What they're saying "We will never stop seeking justice for victims of crime, no matter how much time may have passed," said Sheriff Tommy Ford. "I am so proud of our Cold Case and Crime Scene Units for their determination to find the truth and bring closure to this family." What's next The BCSO Cold Case Unit and Crime Scene Unit are currently using ancestral DNA to identify several sets of human remains found in Bay County. The JoAnn Benner case has progressed and has been turned over to the State Attorney's Office by the Cold Case Unit for review and potential prosecution. The Source This story was written with information posted by the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- CBS News
DNA leads to arrest of former next-door neighbor in 1994 cold case murder of North Texas woman, Irving police say
A 61-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the 1994 murder of a woman in Irving, police announced Monday. Irving PD said that Darryl Patrick Goggans is charged with capital murder in the fatal stabbing of Megan Beth Johns. The department plans to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday to update the public on Goggans' arrest. Investigation begins after Johns doesn't show up for work According to police, on Oct. 5, 1994, Johns' coworkers called her apartment complex in the 3000 block of West Walnut Hill Lane after she did not show up for work that morning. Police said the maintenance worker at the complex went to Johns' apartment to check on her, and when he opened the sliding glass door at the back of her apartment, he found her body. When officers arrived, Johns was found lying face down on her living room floor with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. In a news release Irving PD said, "It was always believed, due to lack of evidence suggesting forced entry, that Johns knew her attacker." In a social media video posted by the department on the 29th anniversary of Johns' cold case, police described the crime scene. Police said Johns' home was ransacked, and they believed she put up a fight when she was attacked. Irving PD said within 48 hours of the crime, detectives spoke to neighbors, coworkers, friends and family members. Goggans was Johns' next-door neighbor at the time of her murder, police said. DNA links Goggans to the case Irving PD said during a recent review of the evidence in Johns' case, a sample was tested and yielded a DNA profile. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database, and matched with Goggans, police said. Goggans was arrested on Tuesday, June 10, and is currently in custody at the Irving City Jail. Darryl Patrick Goggans was arrested on Tuesday, June 10 in connection with the murder of Megan Beth Johns. Irving Police Department "Thanks to the collective effort from family, friends, media, and law enforcement, Megan Johns' case was never forgotten, and justice will finally be served," Irving PD said in a statement. Police ask anyone with information concerning Goggans' involvement in the murder of Johns to call 972-721-3539 or email ECurtis@ You can also stay anonymous by submitting a tip to IPDCrimeTips@
Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Graduate, 25, found stabbed to death in ditch as lies of killer, 84, exposed
Creative university graduate Mary Schlais was killed on her way to an art show and the only clue was a hat left behind at the crime scene with no explanation until 50 years later It was 1974 and Mary Schlais was pursuing her dream of becoming a professional artist. Mary, 25, had graduated with honours from the University of Minnesota after completing an art degree and was already exhibiting her sculptures, paintings and drawings in public. Mary also had a natural talent for languages and had studied abroad. She loved to travel and often hitchhiked to explore new places – which was very common in the 1970s. On 15 February, at 10.30am, Mary left her Minneapolis apartment with a large cardboard sign that read 'Madison'. She was attending an art show in Chicago, Illinois, which was over six hours' driveaway, and planned to hitchhike there. From Madison, she intended to change the sign and find another lift. READ MORE: Schoolboy, 14, wiped out entire family after discovering 'mum's' true identity Mary's housemate saw her leave. It was winter, with snow on the ground, so Mary was wearing a long tan furry coat, jeans, a maroon polo neck top and she was carrying a handbag. It would be the last time Mary was seen alive. Three hours later, a witness called the police to say he'd seen a man throwing a body out of a car in Spring Brook, Wisconsin. The man then tried to cover it up but he fled when the witness drove past. It was around 90 miles from where Mary had started her journey. The witness went to investigate and found the body of a woman face down in a ditch. Brutal stabbing Police officers went to the scene and found Mary's body in the snow. Her coat and handbag were missing and would never be found. Mary had been stabbed at least 15 times in the upper body. She had cuts on her hands that suggested she had tried to fight back. The police believed the killer had picked Mary up in Minnesota and driven directly to the dump site that was 90 miles away, killing her in the car. Her body was still warm. The witness said the man was driving a gold-coloured car. Due to the snow on the ground, tyre tracks were unclear. An orange and black woolly hat, believed to be the killer's, was found at the scene. It contained hair fibres, but there were no matches on the Combined DNA Index System, the law enforcement database known as CODIS. There was also DNA under Mary's fingernails and blood on her clothes, but again, it didn't give the police a match. The public were given a drawing of a man, described as having brown hair and a moustache. There was an extensive investigation, with hundreds of leads, but none led to a suspect. The case ran cold, leaving Mary's loved ones with so many unanswered questions, but officers never stopped the investigation. They kept revisiting Mary's murder in the hope that, one day, her killer would be found. In 2009, Mary's body was exhumed for further testing, but even with technology advancements, her killer couldn't be identified. Two years later, investigators suggested there could be a link between Mary's killing and Randall Woodfield, an American football player once drafted for the Green Bay Packers, who would become known as the I-5 killer, due to the crime she committed along the Interstate 5 in Washington, Oregon and California in the early 1980s. Woodfield was convicted of one murder but has been linked to dozens more. But while he was highlighted as a suspect in Mary's murder, and was in the area at the time, he was never charged. And it turned out, Woodfield wasn't the killer. At the end of 2022, determined officers started working with a team of genetic genealogists at Ramapo College in New Jersey. They had access to voluntary DNA tests from members of the public who were looking to find out more about their heritage or trying to track down relatives. The genealogists also used public records to build family trees. They started working with the DNA found in the hat at Mary's crime scene. A possible family line was identified and slowly, they worked through the male line. When that led to a dead end, they considered the possibility that the killer might have been adopted. And they were right. Another relative led police to Jon Miller, 84. On 7 November 2024, close to what would have been Mary's 76th birthday, officers knocked on Miller's door in Owatonna, Minnesota, and took him in for questioning. At first, Miller denied any involvement, but when confronted with the DNA evidence, he changed his story. He admitted he had picked Mary up when she was hitchhiking. He said he'd asked for 'sexual contact', which Mary had made clear she wasn't interested in. As she'd leaned forward, he'd taken a knife that was stored in the visor on the passenger side and had stabbed her repeatedly in the back. He'd later pulled off the road and tried to hide her body in the snow-covered ditch but admitted he'd panicked after a car drove by and had fled, leaving his hat. Miller admitted to the police that as soon as he opened the door to the officers, he knew why they were there. Justice at last In March this year, Miller pleaded 'no contest' to first degree murder and was sentenced. Mary's niece, Nina Mary Schlais, expressed relief that, despite the number of years that had passed, her killer had been found. 'Mary Schlais was more than a victim. She was a brilliant, independent woman, a gifted artist, an equestrian, a world traveller and a scholar,' she said. 'This case is a reminder that justice has no time limit, and to families still searching for the truth, let Mary's story be a testament that persistence, science and dedication can bring long-awaited closure.' The judge said that while he credited Miller for pleading 'no contest' and making the trial easier, his guilt was evident and he deserved punishment. 'I don't know if there's anything that could make up for the loss of life,' he said. Miller was given life in prison and was ordered to pay $2,200 in restitution. Five decades on, there was justice. The police spoke to the media to say that some of the officers who'd worked on Mary's case had since died themselves, due to the length of time that had passed – but the department had never given up. Sadly, Miller had been free while Mary's future brutally ended in 1974. But advances in technology mean investigators continue to hunt down killers with incredible results – even 50 years later.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Homeland Security faces lawsuit over ‘massive surveillance dragnet' collecting immigrant DNA — including from children
Immigration authorities are collecting DNA from immigrants — including children — and feeding that information into a massive criminal database. Most of those immigrants are not accused of committing any crime, but federal law enforcement agencies can now access their detailed DNA profiles as part of a 'massive surveillance dragnet that sweeps in information about everyone,' according to a lawsuit demanding information from Donald Trump's administration. Monday's lawsuit from the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology calls on the Department of Homeland Security to answer how, exactly, the agency 'collects, stores and uses' those DNA samples. Georgetown Law and two other immigration groups filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information last year. Nine months later, without any response, the groups are now suing the agency for answers. DHS is 'quickly becoming the primary contributor of DNA profiles to the nation's criminal policing DNA database,' according to Stevie Glaberson, director of research and advocacy for Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology. The Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, is administered by the FBI. The network is used by local, state and federal enforcement agencies to match DNA from crime scenes to identify suspects. Last year, Georgetown's center discovered that border agents are collecting DNA from virtually anyone in their custody, no matter how long they have been detained. That information is fed into CODIS, where it lives indefinitely, 'simply because they were not born in the United States,' according to Daniel Melo, an attorney with Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, which joined Georgetown's lawsuit. Homeland Security has added more than 1.5 million DNA profiles to the database since 2020, marking a 5,000 percent increase in submissions between 2000 and 2024, the report found. That figure includes more than 133,000 children, according to data reviewed by Wired. Nearly 230 children are under the age of 13 and more than 30,000 were between 14 and 17 years old. 'The government's DNA collection program represents a massive expansion of genetic surveillance and an unjustified invasion of privacy,' report author and Center on Privacy & Technology Justice Fellow Emerald Tse said at the time. 'The program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities and communities of color, making us all less safe,' Tse added. 'Americans deserve visibility on the details of this program, and the department's lack of transparency is unacceptable,' Glaberson said Monday. The lawsuit joins a wave of litigation against Trump's expanding 'mass deportation operation,' which is deploying officers across all federal law enforcement agencies to ramp up arrests and rapidly remove people from the country. Emily Tucker, executive director at Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology, said it's a 'mistake' to consider DNA collection part of 'immigration enforcement.' The president is instead relying on broad immigration authorities to justify Trump's expansion of federal law enforcement, according to Tucker. 'This program is one part of a massive surveillance dragnet that sweeps in information about everyone,' Tucker added. 'They will use it for deportation, but they will also use it to intimidate, silence, and target anyone they perceive as the enemy.' Last week, reports emerged that the administration has deepened the federal government's ties to Palantir, a tech firm allegedly building wide-ranging data tools to collect and surveil information for millions of Americans. Palantir — co-founded by Silicon Valley investor, Republican donor, and JD Vance mentor Peter Thiel — is reportedly working inside Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other agencies. The administration has reportedly spent more than $113 million with Palantir through new and existing contracts, while the company is slated to begin work on a new $795 million deal with the Defense Department. The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US immigration authorities collecting DNA information of children in criminal database
US immigration authorities are collecting and uploading the DNA information of migrants, including children, to a national criminal database, according to government documents released earlier this month. The database includes the DNA of people who were either arrested or convicted of a crime, which law enforcement uses when seeking a match for DNA collected at a crime scene. However, most of the people whose DNA has been collected by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the agency that published the documents, were not listed as having been accused of any felonies. Regardless, CBP is now creating a detailed DNA profile on migrants that will be permanently searchable by law enforcement, which amounts to a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance', one expert said. The DNA information is stored in a database managed by the FBI called the Combined DNA Index System (Codis), which is used across the country by local, state and federal law enforcement to identify suspects of crimes using their DNA data. Related: Doge gained access to sensitive data of migrant children, including reports of abuse Wired first reported the practice and the existence of these documents, and estimates there are more than 133,000 migrant teens and children whose DNA has been collected and uploaded to Codis. One of them was just four years old. 'In order to secure our borders, CBP is devoting every resource available to identify who is entering our country. We are not letting human smugglers, child sex traffickers and other criminals enter American communities,' Hilton Beckham, the assistant commissioner of public affairs at CBP, told Wired in a statement. 'Toward this end, CBP collects DNA samples for submission to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System … from persons in CBP custody who are arrested on federal criminal charges, and from aliens detained under CBP's authority who are subject to fingerprinting and not otherwise exempt from the collection requirement.' Experts at Georgetown University and the Center on Privacy and Technology published a report last week that found that CBP was collecting the DNA of almost every migrant detained, regardless of how long they were detained. The agency has added more than 1.5m DNA profiles to Codis since 2020, a 5,000% increase in just three years, according to the report. It's a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance and an unjustified invasion of privacy,' according to one of the authors of the report, Emerald Tse. 'The program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities and communities of color, making us all less safe,' Tse said in a statement. The documents CBP published, which detail each individual whose DNA was swabbed, their age and country of origin, where they were transferred to, and what they were charged with, date back to as early as 2020. The latest document published is from the first quarter of 2025. There are hundreds of thousands of entries of people whose DNA has been collected by CBP between 2020 and 2024. Of the more than 130,000 individuals who were children or teens, nearly 230 were children under the age of 13 and more than 30,000 were between 14 and 17 years old, according to Wired. CBP first launched a pilot program to begin collecting detainees' DNA data in 2020, in accordance with a Department of Justice rule that gave the agency three years to comply with a new requirement to collect genetic samples and upload it to Codis. At the time, CBP wrote that it was collecting DNA data from non-US citizens who had been detained between the ages of 14 and 79. The Department of Homeland Security and CBP policy generally states that children under 14 are not obliged to have their DNA information collected, though there is some discretion afforded to field officers. However, this pace of genetic data collection would not have been possible in a criminal legal context, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'Until 2020, almost all the DNA profiles in Codis's 'offender' database were added by state and local police and other criminal law enforcement agencies,' the report reads. 'In the criminal context, there are some limitations on when, how and from whom criminal law enforcement agencies can take DNA which make the process of amassing samples cumbersome and resource-intensive.' Related: Undocumented man accused of making threat to Trump's life may be victim of frame-up The expansion was possible partly because there are fewer limitations on DNA collection within the context of immigration. 'In the immigration context, the only limitation on DNA collection is that a person must be 'detained'. But the meaning of the term 'detained' in the immigration context is notoriously broad, vague and ever shifting,' the report reads. According to the CBP website, the agency sends the DNA data directly to the FBI and does not store or maintain the DNA data itself. That genetic information is stored by the FBI indefinitely, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'How would it change your behavior to know that the government had a drop of your blood – or saliva – containing your 'entire genetic code, which will be kept indefinitely in a government-controlled refrigerator in a warehouse in Northern Virginia'?' the report reads, quoting CBP's documents. 'Would you feel free to seek out the medical or reproductive care you needed? To attend protests and voice dissent? To gather together with the people of your choosing?'
