David Lambkin, and some of the thousands of cold case files at the LAPD. Photo credit: Stefano Paltera
I'd like to point T&T readers to an excellent article by a wonderful writer I've had the pleasure to meet at the Stephanie Lazarus pre-trial hearings, Matthew McGough. Matthew wrote an in depth story on the Lazarus case that appeared in the June issue of The Atlantic.
In the Nov-Dec. issue of Miller-McCune, McGough takes us into the fascinating world of the Los Angeles Police Department's Cold Case Unit, the struggles visionaries had in getting the squad implemented, how the squad has grown in the past ten years and the headlining cases this unit has solved.
I was lucky to receive a print copy of the magazine, with photos and DNA charts. If you don't want to wait to pick up the issue, you can read McGough's article, Not Forgotten, online HERE.
Matthew McGough's web site
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6 comments:
Fascinating! Stephanie Gorman was a classmate of mine at Hamilton High School. Her murder was terrifying to all of us. I refused to be alone in my home for a very long time. It was the end of my childhood, as I knew it, there was evil in my neighborhood. Sadly, case never solved. However I applaud the men and women who work so hard for justice, regardless of how long ago an offense took place. Bravo to them!
Help me understand - (1) has California DNA sampled ALL convicted felons including those on parole? (2) Is that somehow linked to a federal database that is assessible to all law enforcement data bases, and (3) how does that work if California is able to determine a relatives match not an exact match and communicating that result (i.e. California determines it is a father or son of the sample)? Wow - this is nice to see technology working to clear cold cases and unsolved current cases.... great story....
Utah Chris,
1-2. From my understanding California tests a collected sample against their own DNA database. I am not certain if they test against a national database.
3. From my understanding, from the different allele's that come close to matching, scientists can tell if it is a relative. Whether it is another male relative, or female relative might also have to do if there are sex chromosomes that match. So, possibly, depending on how much material matches, scientists can tell how closely related the DNA is.
I don't know if that completely answers your question or not, but I hope it helped.
Here is a story that is more in depth as to how the familial DNA matching occurs:
Familial DNA Article in ScienceMag.org
Sadly in Stephanie Gorman's case, for some reason, most all evidence was tossed out and destroyed. Had there been any DNA sample, maybe there would have been a chance to solve. Unfortunately Cold Case Unites do amazing work, but for reasons beyond them, the collection and maintenence of evidence, is not so very good...not all cases will be solved. Stll, Bravo to those who toil to find the answers, and bring justice...
Yes it did answer my questions. Thanks. This all takes me back to the early 80's when I was a young man and a CHP officer in Barstow (my home town) had two hung juries in his rape and murder charges. He was later convicted in a Federal trial, but the technology available today would have made short work of Gwaltney's conviction. That case, more than any other, convinced me technology would catch up to him. I'm glad to see justice come to the long dormant cases describe in the LAPD files. I wish this technology was available then to give the Bishop family peace and immediate justice.
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