Latest news with #Othram
Cedar News
7 hours ago
- Cedar News
Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty to Slaying Four University of Idaho Students
Boise, Idaho – July 2, 2025 In a major turn in a high-profile case, Bryan Kohberger, 30, has pleaded guilty to the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students— Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. The plea came just weeks before his August 2025 trial, and spares him from facing the death penalty. Kohberger pleaded guilty in a courtroom hearing, affirming the decision was voluntary and uncoerced. Court-appointed Judge Steven Hippler had initially planned for jury selection in August but was reportedly 'blindsided' by the sudden plea agreement. ⚖️ Details of the Plea Deal & Legal Outcome Kohberger admitted guilt on all five counts: four first-degree murder charges and one burglary count. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to withdraw the death penalty and sentence him to four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years for burglary, with no possibility of parole or appeal. The agreement aims to guarantee convictions and bring closure to the victims' families without enduring prolonged trial proceedings. 💔 Reactions from Families Supportive: Ethan Chapin's family welcomed the plea as 'justice served', appreciating the avoidance of a lengthy trial. Opposed: Kaylee Goncalves's relatives expressed outrage, stating the state 'failed us,' criticizing the plea deal for circumventing the death penalty. 🛠️ Key Evidence That Led to Arrest A Ka-Bar knife sheath found at the crime scene was matched to Kohberger's DNA using genetic genealogy conducted by Texas-based firm Othram Additional evidence included cellphone location data, surveillance of his vehicle around the victims' residence, and online purchase records for the knife. 🧭 Why This Case Matters The swift guilty plea avoids the emotional strain and uncertainty of a capital trial. It raises lingering questions about motive, as Kohberger has not provided one despite strong forensic evidence. The decision leaves profound emotional repercussions and potential for future civil lawsuits, even as it brings a legal conclusion. A sentencing hearing is expected later this summer; victim impact statements will be presented. Kohberger will officially begin his life imprisonment without parole. Civil legal proceedings from the families may follow to seek compensation or answers outside the criminal case.
CBS News
7 hours ago
- CBS News
Skeletal remains found in a Plymouth Township field 28 years ago identified as Detroit man
After 28 years, skeletal remains found in a Plymouth Township, Michigan, field have been identified as belonging to a Detroit man. Othram Inc., a Texas-based company that worked with police in identifying the remains, said the victim has been identified as Benjamin Harrison Fountain. In May 1997, skeletal remains were found in a field off Haggerty Road when a man interested in buying the property spotted a piece of rolled-up carpet while surveying the land, according to Othram. Human skeletal remains, jewelry and clothing were found in the carpet. At the time, police said the carpet and remains had been in the field for several years. Investigators determined that the remains belonged to an adult man, who was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and of a slim build. Detectives believed the man died as a result of a head injury and ruled his death a homicide. In hopes of identifying the remains, investigators looked into the source of a gold class ring that was found on the man's body, and tested clothing and a .357 slug found with his remains. In 2022, Plymouth Township police began working with Othram to identify the remains. Othram scientists were able to produce a DNA extract from the skeletal remains and created a DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, confirming the man was of African descent. Through a new DNA profile, police tracked down a potential relative of the man and compared the two DNA profiles, leading to Fountain's identification. Fountain was born on May 6, 1926, in Virginia, according to Othram, and later lived in West Virginia before finally moving to Detroit. Officials say Fountain, who was drafted to serve in World War II, would have been in his 70s if he were found alive when his body was found. Fountain's remains had been stored at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office since they were first discovered in 1997. He was laid to rest, with his name, on May 16, at Our Lady of Hope Cemetery in Brownstown Township. An investigation into Fountain's death continues. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Plymouth Township Police Department at 734-354-3250. Othram says the Fountain case is the 19th in Michigan, where law enforcement partnered with the company in identifying an individual.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Skeletal remains found in Michigan field 28 years ago finally ID'd thanks to advanced DNA testing
The Brief Skeletal remains found in Plymouth in 1997 have been identified thanks to advanced DNA testing. DNA extracted from the bones led to a relative of Benjamin Fountain, who authorities believe died of a head injury. If alive today, Fountain would be 99. PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Almost 30 years after a man's remains were found wrapped in a carpet in Plymouth Township, a murder victim has been laid to rest. DNA testing decades later identified the skeletal remains as Benjamin Harrison Fountain, who would be 99 today. The backstory According to Othram, a forensics company that assisted with the identification, the bones were found in a field off Haggerty Road in Plymouth in May 1997 by a person who was surveying the land to purchase it. Police believed that the remains had been there for years before they were discovered. Investigators were able to determine that the remains were of a man who appeared to have been around 5 feet, 8 inches tall. Shorts found with the remains led investigators to believe he may have been slim. His death was ruled a homicide due to a suspected head injury, and a .357 slug was found with the skeleton. Investigators performed testing on the slug and the clothing found with the skeleton, and also tracked down the origin of a gold class ring found with the remains, but were unsuccessful in identifying who it was. Traditional DNA testing was conducted in 2015 and the results were entered into CODIS, but like other methods of ID'ing the victim, didn't yield any matches. Dig deeper In 2022, the Plymouth Township Police Department teamed with Othram to conduct advanced DNA testing. DNA was extracted from the bones, and Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing was performed at Othram's Texas lab. Through this, it was discovered that the ancestry of the unknown person was African. By using the DNA profile, Othram's forensic genetic genealogy team developed new leads about possible family members and provided them to police. Police were then able to contact a potential relative and use their DNA to determine Fountain's identity. Who he was Fountain, who was born in Virginia on May 6, 1926, also lived in West Virginia before landing in Detroit. He served in World War II after being drafted. His remains, which had been at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office since they were found, were finally laid to rest in May, when he was buried at Our Lady of Hope Cemetery in Brownstown. What we don't know It is unknown who killed Fountain or how he ended up dead in a field. An investigation into his death is ongoing. The Source Othram provided details for this story.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mirror
How Ripper case could be solved by crack team identifying missing children
Improvements in DNA techniques are opening up a world of possibilities for solving cold cases - and answering questions for relatives of missing people around the globe Pioneering forensic techniques could unlock the identity of Britain's most infamous serial killer… Jack the Ripper. An agreement between a US forensic genealogy company and London's King's College could see the unveiling of the Victorian era's most prolific serial killer thanks to extraordinary new crime cracking methods involving the use of tiny amounts of DNA. Funded by grants and crowdfunding, a 75-strong team at Othram, based in Texas, has been solving cases across the US for five years. Their techniques have enabled them to name people after examining DNA from remains which have been unidentifiable for days, months or, in some cases, years. Even remains that have been chemically treated, burnt or immersed in liquid for years, have failed to confound them. Billion-to-one DNA match links man, 92, to murder-rape 58 years ago, court hears With 250,000 unsolved homicides across the US each year and up to 75,000 sets of remains classed as 'unidentified', these new methods are truly groundbreaking. Othram's experts combine advanced genetic sequencing techniques with proprietary algorithms. This is a unique way of comparing DNA data with samples uploaded to ancestry sites, to create highly accurate genetic profiles from the DNA fragments they receive. Named after May 25 - International Missing Children's Day, the company's Project 52 - its passion project - aims to identify that same number of nameless children in the US within the next couple of years. Meanwhile, in the UK, top cop Peter Kirkham says their methods could help identify victims of gangland killings and could even reveal the identity of Jack the Ripper. The ex-Metropolitan Detective Chief Inspector told The Mirror: "I think probably Jack the Ripper samples are still there from victims and impossible suspects, so there is scope for all manner of things really. Ever since DNA technology arrived on the scene, there's always been a potential tension between using a sample to see if you can get a profile, and thereby destroying it because the sample you have is so small, or whether you leave it and come back to it when the technology has moved on, so you are more confident that you will get a result. "There are loads and loads of cases that are going back more and more years where the DNA hasn't been sampled or looked at for a variety of reasons - one of them being the amount of DNA you need for a sample. Now that we can conduct profiling from such small samples ,there will be cases that fall into those categories." Attempts to identify Jack the Ripper - the serial killer who murdered at least five women in the Whitechapel area of London in 1888 and was never caught - using DNA have taken place before. Back in 2019, examination of a stained silk shawl said to have been found next to the mutilated body of Catherine Eddowes, the Ripper's fourth victim, was analysed by historian Russell Edwards, who identified Aaron Kosminski, a 23-year-old Polish barber and a prime police suspect at the time, as the killer. And there could be scope to follow in the footsteps of the US experts, who have had incredible results, in their mission to identify the remains of missing children. One was Amore Wiggins, who was five years old when she was murdered. When her skeletal remains were found scattered around a trailer park in 2011, while horrified investigators discovered the little girl had suffered multiple fractures and was severely malnourished before her death, they were unable to find out who she was. She became known as Baby or 'Opelika' Jane Doe after the location in Alabama, where her partial remains were discovered. Then in 2022, 11 years after her discovery, the Opelika Police Department sent Othram a tiny fragment of DNA and by using groundbreaking technology, they built a comprehensive genealogical profile of her. Amore's identity was discovered and by 2023, Lamar Vickerstaff, 50, had been identified as the youngster's father. Her father is now awaiting trial for her murder. Amore's mother Sherry Wiggins, 37, was a teenager when she gave birth and, chillingly, after losing custody to her much older partner and his new lover in 2009, she had paid Vickerstaff child support for 11 years after Amore's death. "Opelika Jane Doe's bones were in a river bed, so they were really difficult to work with," explained Othram's chief development officer Kristen Mittelman. "She looked to be a three to six year old child, with multiple fractures from different times. She was blind and her teeth were missing and she had been malnourished. We identified the father, who said he didn't have a child. We then identified the mother, who had lost custody to the father, who was twice her age and had continued to pay child support every two weeks for 11 years after he had [allegedly] murdered her daughter.' What horrified Kristen was how many of the children whose remains they have examined haven't even been reported missing - often because of who has killed them. She said: "Usually, when a child is murdered, they're murdered by someone they trust, someone who would be expected to report them missing. "There's a huge need for these children to get their voices back, not only because no one deserves to remain nameless forever, but because their attacker is still out there, often with access to other children and potentially they could strike again." Working with the remains of children who have been abused for prolonged periods is sadly not so unusual. "We've had bodies come here that have so many broken bones, because they were abused over a two or three year period of their four year life," said Kristen. "It's devastating to see." Now the hope is that Othram's technological discoveries could be used to help solve some criminal and missing person cases here. Denise Syndercombe-Court, Professor of Forensic Genetics at King's College, London, said: "We've had an agreement with Othram for some considerable time. We haven't actually done any case work, but we've always planned to work together and we probably will in the future." The scope would be more limited here than in the US, as the UK already has a very powerful DNA database. She explained: "If you get a bit of DNA from a crime scene, you've got about a 65% chance of actually getting a name of somebody who is potentially associated with the scene and may, of course, be involved in the crime. "That gives police a significant advantage over other countries who don't have a powerful database like that. In the United States, they're not so good at making sure their felons are on the national database. But there will be unsolved serious cases in the UK. 'What happens at the moment is they get reviewed every so often and the hope is somebody will come onto that database.' But Prof Syndercombe-Court says that of the 20 or 30 cases put forward annually for familial searches, probably only 25 to 30% are resolved, and these would be the kind of cases that would benefit from this technology. She added: "We also have unidentified remains in the UK as in all countries and the technology could resolve questions for relatives." Back in the US, Project 525 has also helped identify Jimmy Allen Dollison, who was found on a roadside in Garnett, Kansas, in 1973 - a few weeks after he was murdered. The 16-year-old was wearing a brown corduroy jacket, brown hiking boots and a black leather belt with a large buckle. Despite the identifying details on Jimmy's body, including a ring with the number 78 and a silver chain with a large cross, plus the fact the teenager was reported missing by his family, he was only identified earlier this year when his DNA was sent to Othram, who found siblings he was related to. He had remained nameless for more than 50 years. Another 'last chance' case solved by Project 525 concerns toddler Mary Sue Fink, whose remains were found in a barrel in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 2014. A decade later, police submitted Mary's DNA fragments to Othram and she was successfully identified. Born in 1959, Mary is thought to have been aged between two and six years old when she died, with no further details yet known surrounding the reason for her death. "There are so many cases that have touched my heart for so many reasons," said Kristen. "Often you don't have much evidence in these investigations, so you're dealing with someone's last chance to get justice for that family. "These children would be erased from history without this technology. People need to know if they murder their children they're going to get caught, it's just a matter of time. "There's nothing you can do to the body to conceal it - they've worked remains that have been floating in an ocean for over 100 years, we've worked remains that were thrown in a sewage tank, remains that were exploded, burned and chemically treated. You can name it, we've done it and there's nothing you can do to get away with it."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
How did forensic technology solve a 25-year cold case in Pueblo County?
(PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo) — A family now has answers after a 25-year-old cold case was solved with the help of modern-day technology. The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation worked with Othram, a forensic DNA Lab in Texas, to identify the remains of 34-year-old Marvin Majors on Monday. 'There are hundreds of thousands of unsolved violent crimes in the United States, and tens of thousands of unidentified John and Jane Does,' said Colby Lasyone, the Chief of Staff at Othram. Majors' remains were found in November of 2000. The Sheriff's Office said the Oklahoma native was homeless and was believed to have been sleeping in a field just north of the Walking Stick development when a woman walking her dog found his body. For years, Major's remains were not identified, which is why you typically hear the term 'John and Jane Doe' used in cold cases. 'These are people who die without their name being known, as well as cases where there's a crime that's been committed and there's some DNA evidence left behind,' Lasyone said. This case was reopened in June of 2021 when the sheriff's office found a DNA profile related to the case completed by the FBI. After, the sheriff's office created a new DNA sample from evidence collected from the scene. The evidence was then submitted to Othram to try and put together a DNA profile. Once they believe they can, the process of forensic grade genome sequencing begins, which requires working through lots of data provided to put together any sort of profile. 'It's very comprehensive, composed of hundreds of thousands of DNA data points or DNA markers,' Lasyone said. It all depends on the data available. Lasyone said it can take days, weeks or even months to put together some type of profile. 'In this particular case, we were able to develop the DNA profile in a matter of weeks and provide it back to the folks in Colorado,' Lasyone said. In November 2024, a DNA match was made with a distant family member of Majors. After obtaining another sample from a suspected sibling, the DNA comparison was a match to the unidentified man, which was identified as Majors. This is the sixth cold case Othram has solved in Colorado, and they are hoping to help crack more across the country. 'Instead of having one lab in Texas that can help to build these DNA profiles, our vision is that there are labs across the United States and the world that have the same capabilities,' Lasyone said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
