Top 10 Scientific Advancements That Solved Major Crimes

DNA Phenotyping helps investigators who’ve collected DNA from a crime scene, but don’t have a suspect description or profile. Applications for law enforcement were developed by nanopharmaceutical company Parabon NanoLabs with support from the U.S. Department of Defense. The technology uses DNA to predict a person's physical description. It can describe characteristics like face shape, eye and hair color, and even freckling. In 2017, a profile produced by DNA Phenotyping brought Sierra Bouzigard’s killer to justice after the case had been cold since 2009. The practice is not without controversy, however. Parabon’s scientific methods have not been peer-reviewed. Police in Edmonton, Canada apologized when a sketch they released led to accusations of racial profiling.

The Crime of the Century: nowadays, that probably means different things to different people. But in 1932, it only meant one thing: the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr, son of a famous aviator. The investigation into the kidnapping (and murder) of Lindbergh. Jr would take years and involve law enforcement at every level. Two pieces of critical evidence would help convict Richard Hauptmann of the crime. A piece of ladder found near the crime scene was closely analyzed by forensics expert Arthur Koehler. He was able to link the wood of the ladder to wood found in Hauptmann’s attic and tool marks on the ladder to those belonging to Hauptmann. Handwriting analysis also matched the ransom notes received by the Lindberghs to Hauptmann’s handwriting.

They are all around us: in the clothes we wear, the carpets we walk on, and the beds we sleep in. Fiber analysis examines the texture, color, and source of fibers found at a crime scene. This can be extremely challenging when looking at ordinary clothes or other mass-produced items. The number and type of fibers recovered from a crime scene can vary greatly. In the 1980s, a rope fiber helped convict serial killer John Joubert, and fibers from 19 different sources helped convict murderer Wayne Williams.

Phishing emails, credit card scams, and IRS robocalls have turned the 21st century into a hotbed for identity theft. But this isn’t a new problem. Just ask Howard Hughes. The business magnate was living in isolation when enterprising authors Clifford Irving and Richard Suskind attempted to sell a supposedly authorized biography of his life. Using forged letters, the duo might have succeeded had Hughes not re-emerged to reveal the truth. Or at least, his voice did. The recluse would only communicate via phone. Voiceprint Analysis, around since World War II, was used to confirm his identity. A spectrograph was used to measure the volume, intensity, pitch, and tone of the voice, confirming it was Hughes and sending Irving and Suskind downtown.

Lying at the intersection of anthropology and criminal investigation, forensic anthropologists primarily deal with skeletal remains. They have access to a wealth of knowledge stored in the bones of crime victims. A person’s gender is revealed through the pelvic bones and forehead. Age can be gleaned through one’s dental status. Different markings on bones can describe the cause of death as well as additional trauma the body suffered. Even a person’s ancestry can be told through their skeleton. Forensic anthropologists often give voice to those who have long since lost theirs. Their assistance identifying 22 of John Wayne Gacy’s victims helped secure the notorious serial killer’s conviction.

Every police procedural or true crime fan knows one indelible fact. Most criminal investigations start at the scene of the crime. Investigators and crime scene technicians will take photos and videos and collect any physical evidence they find. They also evaluate the scene as a whole, filling in the missing puzzle pieces, and making sense of all the evidence. Take the case of Jeffrey MacDonald. The army doctor alleged that he was the only survivor of a random attack that left his wife and daughters dead. However, forensic evidence conflicted with his account. A reconstruction of the scene allowed investigators to piece together what really happened: MacDonald had killed his family, and faked evidence to the contrary. He was convicted and sentenced for their murders.

One of the most famous forensic technologies thanks to shows like CSI, forensic ballistics is essentially the study of bullets, firearms, and other weapons. It can provide information on the type of gun used in a crime. The main aim of ballistics analysis is to connect bullets fired at a crime scene to the specific weapons they came from. This is possible thanks to unique marks or striations left on a bullet during firing. It helped solve the 1961 murder of taxi driver John Orner. While an initial ballistics test was inconclusive, a test based on more recent methods resulted in the conviction of Edward Freiburger in 2002. Many countries now have national databases to keep track of ballistics evidence and link crimes and weapons.

In 2003, scientists successfully completed the Human Genome Project, mapping and sequencing most of our genes. This discovery would open the floodgates of genomics and genealogical testing. Nowadays people are capable of finding long lost relatives, learning about their history, or solving crimes. In California, the identity of the Golden State Killer had eluded authorities for years. That is until FBI Investigators sent DNA left behind by the Killer to a personal genomics website. This led them to several of his distant relatives and helped them construct a very intricate family tree. From there, it was short work to identify and apprehend the man who had terrorized the state for many years.

Machine Gun Kelly (no, not the rapper) was a famous bootlegger born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1900. Aside from bootlegging, he was also involved in kidnapping. His final victim was Ohio Oil tycoon Charles F. Urschel, whom he kept blindfolded in a farmhouse. This would end up being a big mistake. Urschel paid close attention to sounds around him and left fingerprints on everything he could. These swirl-shaped impressions are formed by raised skin layers on your fingers. Everyone has a unique set of fingerprints, even identical twins, and they never change. Once Urschel was safe and sound, the noises he remembered allowed the FBI to locate the farmhouse, and his fingerprints confirmed that he’d been there.

DNA is the instruction manual for how we’re all built. We share 60% of it with bananas and 99% with chimpanzees, but every person still has their own unique DNA profile. Used in forensic investigations in the US since the 1980s, DNA has helped put some of the most notorious criminals behind bars. Samuel Little, who would confess to 93 murders, 60 of them confirmed, was captured and convicted using DNA found on two of his victims. It’s also played a key role in exonerating people who have been falsely convicted of crimes.