We've got all the details about who's eligible for the massive 23andMe data breach settlement and how to make a claim -- plus, who might be able to get as much as $10,000.

Go to https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/are-you-eligible-for-23andmes-30-million-data-breach-settlement-find-out-here/ 

Here is an article that is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, it is a topic that I suggest that all computer users should be familiar with this new technology:

This is an article I published some time ago, although it has now been updated with some new information based upon a hardware purchase I made recently.

Without a question, the Internet has completely changed the way we live. It has altered the way we communicate, travel, work, get information, and engage with one another. We benefit from an increased degree of freedom as a result of the democratization and decentralization of information. As a result, the public's access to information about issues affecting both the globe and themselves has increased significantly thanks to the Internet. The mainstream media and centralized authorities are losing influence as a result of the Internet.

But not everything is perfect. We have overlooked—or have been forced to overlook—something as significant in our haste to seize the liberties provided by the Internet: our privacy. People often forget that they are the real product of these new free services, as billions of people rush to sign up for the newest social media networks.

Parts of the Internet became factories for data collecting, with important user information and data being handed on to the platforms' real customers — the highest bidder — thanks to incentives from "free" platforms and peer pressure. Large swaths of the Internet were taken over by a few dominant firms, which harvested data property that did not belong to them, weakened privacy rights, and made censorship easier. (Can you say "Google" or "FaceBook" boys and girls?)

Privacy awareness has increased as a result of this centralizing influence as well as other worries about accessibility, surveillance, and net neutrality. In order to provide a more democratic, private, secure, censorship-resistant, and decentralized Internet of the future, there is an increase in the use of VPN and DPN services.

Virtual private networks (VPNs)

I rather like the Wikipedia definition of VPNs:

"A virtual private network (VPN) is a mechanism for creating a secure connection between a computing device and a computer network, or between two networks, using an insecure communication medium such as the public Internet.

A VPN can extend access to a private network (one that disallows or restricts public access) to users who do not have direct access to it, such as an office network allowing secure access from off-site over the Internet.

The benefits of a VPN include security, reduced costs for dedicated communication lines, and greater flexibility for remote workers.

A VPN is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of tunneling protocols over existing networks. A VPN available from the public Internet can provide some of the benefits of a private wide area network (WAN)."

You can read more about VPNs on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network as well as on dozens of other web sites.

Private Networks That Are Decentralized

Decentralized Private Networks, sometimes known as decentralized VPNs (often abbreviated to DPN or DVPN), function similarly to virtual private networks (VPNs) in that they transit web traffic via encrypted tunnels over decentralized networks as opposed to centralized ones. Higher security levels are ensured by serverless and distributed architecture, which prevents user data from being tracked, compromised, or subpoenaed.

VPNs are growing in popularity as people become more conscious of privacy concerns and challenges related to data and information centralization. Blockchain and cryptocurrency innovators are already taking advantage of this need to provide decentralized enhanced security for online users.

User devices function as the client (typically individual Internet users) and a server or multiple servers (such as Amazon Web Services or Google or even individual desktop or laptop computers in use in private homes) in a decentralized private network such as Deeper Network or Mysterium Network. Additionally, the IP addresses automatically shift in accordance with their routing rules, creating global tunnels to connect to other nodes.

Note: Private Network and Mysterium are two different DPNs that are popular. Deeper Network is a hardware implementation whereas Mysterium is a software implementation. With Deeper Network you pay (expensive) fees as a one-time fee when you purchase the hardware but it is free forever after that (and one option allows you to even make money) whereas Mysterium is a more traditional service that is free to join but you do pay a modest monthly fee every month after that if you use the service.

Similar to virtual private networks (VPNs), decentralized private networks have the advantage of not requiring a central point of control. This indicates that the network cannot be taken down and that there are no central locations to attack. Because no centralized supplier has access to the data that users were attempting to secure, the individual users (clients) also retain control over their data.

For instance, Deeper Network and possibly other DPNs integrate blockchain technology, network security, and the sharing economy to build a worldwide peer-to-peer network that provides the same level of resistance against censorship and data theft as conventional VPNs, but without the requirement for a central server. The same is true with other services that enable total privacy for information sharing between apps, users, and organizations, such as Mysterium Network and HOPR.

Deeper Network and Mysterium and others insure privacy and increase security simply because there is no central organization that can retain records that can be subpoenaed by central governments. Rather than use high-tech language to explain how DPNs work, I will revert to a non-technical explanation:

DPNs work by creating an environment whereby interested users can "meet" and negotiate connection services. It is as if a client in Singapore says "I am available" and a client in the United States says "I am looking for an available client in Singapore." The two clients remain anonymous to each other, then connect and data is exchanged directly between the client in the United States and the client in Singapore" with no other "middleman" involved. The client in Singapore typically provides data from local online connections in Singapore, encrypts it, and then provides that data to the client in the United States. Unlike traditional VPNs, the central DPN organization does not know which clients are communicating with each other and never sees the data being exchanged. Therefore, a central government or any other organization or an individual hacker cannot monitor the connection and cannot later obtain any records of what transpired, even with a subpoena.

In addition to software, there are hardware solutions that, such as Deeper Connect, also establish a private network that allows users to browse the Internet normally through a DPN. These hardware-based decentralized DPNs provide a one-time purchase option without a subscription. Additionally, DPN users have the option to profit from sharing their unused bandwidth with other users.

In addition to software, there are hardware solutions that, such as Deeper Connect, also establish a private network that allows users to browse the Internet normally through a DPN. These hardware-based decentralized DPNs provide a one-time purchase option without a subscription. Additionally, DPN users have the option to profit from sharing their unused bandwidth with other users.

The information handled by the DPNs are more secure than traditional VPNs. Even if a government agency issues a subpoena to obtain information from a DPN owner, there is no information available that can be supplied. 

All of this combines to produce a more pleasurable, safe, and genuinely private network for Internet browsing. In addition, most DPNs are available either free of charge to the end user or else may be available at greatly reduced charges when compared to traditional VPNs. 

DPNs have a strong chance of guiding the Internet from its current state to a safe communication area where ethics and technology converge to protect individual liberty, freedom, and dignity.

I recently purchased a hardware DPN device from Deeper Network and installed it next to my in-home router. Now everything on my network, including my cell phone, my laptop, and even my thermostat are using the Internet in a safe and encrypted manner (I don’t know if I really need to use an encrypted connection for my thermostat but it doesn’t seem to have any drawbacks). At least I know that all my communications are safe and secure from prying eyes.

The Hays Public Library celebrated the renovation of the Kansas Room with a Chamber in Hays ribbon cutting on Friday.

The Kansas Room is in the basement of the library. It holds circulating books on Kansas and from Kansas authors and reference materials on local history and genealogy.

The $170,000 project included moving the stacks to the west side of the basement to allow for more seating, programming and study space, Jeremy Gill, Kansas Room coordinator, said.

Brandon Hines, library director, said the Kansas Room is the final piece in a five-year renovation of the entire library. Much of the library had not been updated since the 1960s. The Kansas Room had last been updated in 2004.

Renovations on the first and second floors began in 2020.

Hines said the library staff wanted to create space in the basement where people could study or do research.

"We wanted to create a quiet reference-type space on the lower level because if you have been in the library on the main floor or especially the children's library on the second floor, it's not really the shushing library that you might have grown up with," Hines said. "There's a lot of activity."

Paul-Wertenberger Construction was the general contractor on the project.

Lead donors on the project included the estate of Ann Liston and the Robert E. and Patricia Schmidt Foundation. 

Major contributors who gave between $1,000 and $10,000 included Diana Pantle, Ken and Rose Marie Staab, Layton and Jerry Kaiser, Kyle and Stephanie Carlin, Friends of the Hays Library, Carol Vajnar, Sharon Dreher, Heartland Community Foundation, Teget Foundation, Cloud Storage, Kent and Ruth Deines, Jon and Cindy Lightle, the Hines family and Paul-Wertenberger Construction.

Gill said the Kansas Room is officially named the Dorothy B. Richards Kansas Room, which was named for the library director who created the collection as a shelf in the original Carnegie Library in Hays.

The collection grew to a room in the Carnegie Library's basement and was eventually moved to the present library.

"There haven't been a lot of Kansas Room librarians or coordinators over the years, and I really do appreciate the work and effort of all of those different people," Gill said.

The collection also contains rare books, books on the Great Plains, a local photo collection and local yearbooks.

"It's fun to see people go down memory lane with those kinds of things," he said. 

The library has a complete collection of Fort Hays State University yearbooks but is missing a few yearbooks from area high schools, or their copies have been well-worn from use, Gill said.

Residents can contact Gill at the library if they want to donate materials to the collection.

The Kansas Room has a bank of computers for research and an overhead scanner for digitizing images.

"I get emails and phone calls from all over the country and sometimes all over the world," Gill said. "It's a really special place."

After COVID, the Kansas Room initiated a coffee hour during which residents can talk to Gill and each other about local history.

That group meets at 10 a.m. Thursday mornings in the Kansas Room.

Hines said, "This place is just a collection of things without people like Jeremy. Jeremy is the one who connects people. He is the one who tells these stories about everything we have. Without people connecting with people, this would not be what it is."

"The Kansas Room is like a lot of other components of the library. It has its own little life. We have the children's area and the young adults' area. It has this life because of the people."

You can learn more about the Hays Public Library and the Kansas Room at hayslibrary.org. Follow the library on Facebook for information on upcoming events.

Press Release from the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center:

FINDLAY, OHIO — The Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center is proud to announce the public launch of its Digital Archive, a growing online collection of over 100 historical and cultural artifacts now freely accessible at www.blackheritagecenter.org/digital-archive.

This new digital resource currently showcases over 120 unique artifacts—each accompanied by images and written descriptions—with hundreds more items to be added in the coming months. The archive represents the first phase of a long-term effort to increase access to the Center’s rich collections and enhance educational opportunities for students, teachers, and lifelong learners.

Spanning multiple categories, the archive represents a portion of the library’s vast collection of artifacts from around the world, ranging widely from hand-carved African ceremonial masks to indigenous musical instruments, artwork inspired by African proverbs, and significant items from African American history. Some especially noteworthy items include a jersey worn by legendary pitcher Satchel Paige and memorabilia from the Negro Leagues in baseball, and even a replica of the shipping crate Henry “Box” Brown used to escape slavery. The Center also houses an extensive collection related to the Tuskegee Airmen, with many pieces having been donated from the Smithsonian Institution.

The archive is free and available to the public and is designed to be especially useful to middle and high school teachers of civics, social studies, and American and world history. The resource provides educators with topically relevant material aligned with Ohio’s academic standards, helping students see themselves—and others—reflected in the historical record.

 “Our collection speaks to the breadth and depth of a global experience,” said Jerome Gray, Interim Executive Director of the Center. “We took great care to study the Ohio Common Core and select collections in our archive that clearly align with our state standards and requirements. By digitizing these materials and making our library and museum more widely available and accessible, we hope to introduce students in Ohio to people, events, and stories that might not have made it into their textbooks but that are nevertheless essential parts of our shared history.”

The project was made possible through support from Ohio Humanities, the Findlay Hancock County Community Foundation, and a small team of faculty, staff, and graduate students from the University of Findlay. Digitization began in 2022, with a soft launch in 2024, completing the first phase of the project. Future phases will focus on uploading the Center’s growing collection and expanding the use of the archive beyond the classroom.

To explore the archive, visit: https://www.blackheritagecenter.org/digital-archive

About the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center

Founded in 1982 and based in Findlay, Ohio, the Black Heritage Library and Multicultural Center is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and cross-cultural understanding. Through its museum, educational programs, and extensive collection of global artifacts, the Center provides space for learning, reflection, and celebration of the many cultures that shape our shared world.

In 2018, investigators used DNA obtained from genealogy websites to identify Joseph James DeAngelo Jr.—better known as the Golden State Killer—who later pleaded guilty to 26 counts of murder and kidnapping. He is currently serving multiple life sentences.

The case marked a groundbreaking moment in forensic science. Detectives were able to identify DeAngelo Jr. by connecting him to DNA submitted to genealogy websites by distant relatives, helping bring long-awaited justice to victims and their families.

Supporters say genealogy aids police, critics warn it implicates relatives

While many supporters call the use of DNA profiles good police work, critics have raised data privacy and informed consent concerns about the Golden State Killer case and subsequent cases involving police departments that create fake profiles and conduct searches without a warrant, indirectly involving relatives of a suspect, whether they had anything to do with the crime or not.

“It’s perfectly legal for law enforcement to follow people around and wait for them to leave a discarded sample of their genetic information, for example, a cup, pizza crust, something like that,” Malia Fullerton, a professor of bioethics at the University of Washington, said. “The people who created these databases, and the vast majority of people who use them for genealogical purposes, were concerned about law enforcement coming in to make use of this information, not in order to expand a family tree, but to indirectly identify relatives.”

Fullerton said people upload their DNA to private genealogical companies to research family trees or trace their ancestry, not to assist in criminal investigations. Even when users consent to share their data, their relatives, including siblings who share close to 50% DNA, have often not agreed to do the same.

“Let’s say my brother is a genealogy buff and he decides he doesn’t care about his genetic privacy. He wants to find relatives in our far-flung family, and so he decides to upload his genomic information to one of these databases that law enforcement could access,” Fullerton said. “The fact that my brother uploaded his genetic information would allow me potentially to be indirectly identified. And I had no say.”

In the Golden State Killer case, investigators said they submitted crime scene DNA to FamilyTreeDNA, which created a profile. They then used fake accounts to search the database for matches. A close relative was found on MyHeritage, police said, helping them break open the cold case.

“I think on balance, it is a good thing,” Fullerton said. “However, it is right now kind of a Wild West. It’s not really very well regulated.”

Following the case, most major consumer DNA testing companies created additional barriers to law enforcement access. The U.S. Department of Justice also adopted restrictions on the use of genealogical databases for criminal investigations. But so far, only Maryland has passed legislation that provides legal guidelines for how law enforcement may use and store such sensitive data.

The lack of regulation raises concerns about potential misuse, including the risk of data breaches at police departments holding DNR-related information as part of their cases.

“If somebody hacks into my credit card or something, and, like, steals my identity, I can get a new credit card,” Fullerton said. “I cannot get a new genome. My genome is the genome that my parents gave me.”

The following article was written by (former) Sheriff C. Philip Byers:

Every year, thousands of murders in the United States remain unsolved. Today, there are over 300,000 cold cases on the books. But a revolutionary technology — forensic genetic genealogy — could change this grim reality.

Many people first heard of this technique in 2018, when investigators used it to find Joseph DeAngelo, better known as the Golden State Killer. He eventually confessed to killing 13 people and raping about 50 women in California in the 1970s and 1980s.

Since then, the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations has steadily grown. This past year, it led police to arrest the man accused of raping and murdering Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who was found murdered near a running trail in Maryland in 2023.

The initial inquiry into Morin’s death revealed that the killer’s DNA matched an unsolved home invasion and assault in Los Angeles — but even with this match, investigators couldn’t identify the suspect. 

For decades, law enforcement relied on the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. Launched by the FBI in the 1990s, CODIS compares DNA samples collected from crime scenes to a database of profiles already in law enforcement’s possession.

DNA contains unique data points known as markers, which act like a genetic fingerprint. CODIS examines just 20 of these markers, and if no match is found in the database, the case often stalls.

As a result, violent crimes involving unknown suspects go unsolved.

The solution: forensic genetic genealogy.

Forensic genetic genealogy also relies on detective work and DNA samples, but it looks for matches using hundreds of thousands of markers instead of just 20. 

This process yields matches to individuals who share some DNA with the suspect. With enough matches, police can find the source of the DNA found at the crime scene.

But police departments often don’t have the capacity to conduct forensic genetic genealogy on their own. In Morin’s case, investigators turned the DNA evidence over to Othram, a company focused on solving contemporary and cold cases. Scientists there used genetic genealogy to develop new leads, culminating in the arrest of Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, who was just convicted on charges of murder and rape.

Genetic genealogy has now been used to solve thousands of cold cases. 

The fact that we have this technology now is reason for hope. We can bring closure to families by solving past crimes, and also stop new ones by identifying serial rapists and killers earlier in their trajectories.

But making greater use of forensic genetic genealogy infrastructure wouldn’t just bring more criminals to justice. Every case solved quickly means less time and money spent on dead-end leads or long-term investigations.

Currently, however, inadequate funding is preventing many investigators from making full use of genetic genealogy tools.

The solution has to be more federal support. The Department of Justice already makes grants to help reduce DNA backlogs. But more help is required. The next federal budget needs to have a specific focus on the game-changing application of genetic genealogy. At the same time, lawmakers need to re-evaluate how existing resources are being spent. In many cases, cutting-edge technologies can achieve the same or greater results for drastically less money.

We have the technology to solve crimes and protect the innocent. But we can’t do so without the political will to prioritize justice.

Sheriff C. Philip Byers is the former sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina. He worked in law enforcement for two decades. This piece originally ran in the DC Journal.

Case background

Detective Cordon Parks provided a recap of the investigation into Christine Gallegos’ murder.

Christine Gallegos was 18 when she was last seen alive at 10:30 p.m. on May 15, 1985. Christine Gallegos told her family that she was hitchhiking downtown to work at a bar. She was last seen alive on 40000 West in Kearns.

One hour after she was last seen, witnesses heard two gunshots in the area of 1384 Jefferson Street in Salt Lake City. Christine Gallegos was there for several hours before being found by a passerby at 3:50 a.m. on May 16.

Gallegos was found dead, severely beaten, stabbed, and shot twice in the head. Officers believe that the person who picked her up drove her to a remote area and killed her after she fought back.

The police had no suspects at the time. Forensic testing over the years of investigation also yielded no suspects, but biological evidence was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in 2010.

DNA evidence leads to the truth

In 2023, investigative genealogy was recommended by the Utah Cold Case Review Board and the State of Utah Crime Lab. According to Parks, SLCPD contacted a DNA lab in Texas — Othram — and sent them evidence.

Othram developed a profile of the suspect based on DNA and genealogy. Several months after the profile was developed, the lab called and said that they had developed a likely suspect.

Ricky Lee Stallworth was 27 at the time of Christine Gallegos’ murder. He was a U.S. Air Force airman at Hill Air Force Base in Layton, Utah.

“Law enforcement officials never stop trying to find answers and it doesn’t matter how old a case is, or whether it was hopeless in the past, there is technology here today that is able to get answers for families,” Kristen Mittelman, Chief Development Officer for Othram, is quoted in a release from the company. “Something like this is heartbreaking for a family to go through, but it’s important for them to know the truth.”

SLCPD spoke with three of his four ex-wives, spoke with a friend, and eventually made contact with a natural son of Stallworth. That son provided a voluntary DNA swab for the investigation, Parks said.

The Bureau of Forensic Services, alongside Othram, was able to determine that his DNA was a match to the biological information found on Gallegos’ body.

“We missed being able to talk to him and interview him by a matter of months,” Parks stated.

Police investigators determined that Stallworth murdered Christine Gallegos in 1985. Unfortunately, Stallworth died of natural causes in July 2023, only months before police found his name.

“Today, we can say with certainty that he was responsible for the death of Christine Gallegos,” Parks concluded.

Steve O’Camb, a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) investigator with the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), shared the importance of the resolution of this case. SAKI investigators got involved in the case when the initiative came to Utah in 2015 and began testing old sexual assault kits from Utah criminal cases.

“In this case, we don’t have a suspect to put handcuffs on or anyone to charge, but we hope that our efforts have just given some measure of justice to the victim, her family, who is with us today, and their friends and people who loved her,” O’Camb stated.

O’Camb shared that the SAKI initiative assisted in solving the formerly cold case homicide of Gregory Dahl Nickell in Uintah County. Five cold cases have been solved by the initiative brought to Utah in 2015.

Leah Gallegos speaks at the SLCPD press conference on May 15, 2025 (Courtesy: The Salt Lake City Police Department).

Mother of Christine Gallegos

“I just know that I sure miss this girl every day,” Leah Gallegos, Christine’s mother, said. “I wonder about the kids she would have, and I watch other people with their daughters, their grandkids.”

Leah Gallegos has spent 40 years waiting for an answer from police. In a 2021 interview with ABC4, she expressed her frustration that it was taking so long for any progress. Today, she expressed gratitude.

“She was outgoing, she was sweet, she was in love with her fiancé, Troy,” Leah Gallegos stated. “They took so much away when they took her away.”

A new partnership between Getty Images and the genealogy website Ancestry aims to save the records and photographs of historically Black colleges and universities.

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania is digitizing its photos and documents with the help of Getty Images and Ancestry.

Cassandra Illidge

A group of Claflin University students were perusing old campus photos when one image caught a student’s eye—it was a picture of his grandmother from her college days. He knew they attended the same historically Black university in South Carolina, but he had never seen a picture of her in her younger years.

For Cassandra Illidge, vice president of global partnerships and executive director of the HBCU Grants Program at Getty Images, such moments both drive and affirm the company’s expanding work with HBCUs to preserve photos, documents and records in partnership with the genealogy website Ancestry.

Identifying his grandmother gave that student “a deeper connection with that institution, with the history and that legacy,” Illidge said, “and that’s what we’re hoping everyone will enjoy with this relationship and this partnership.”

Funded by Getty Images’ HBCU Grants Program, which started in 2021 with four institutions, the new partnership aims to digitize HBCU archival materials ranging from photos to student newspapers to course catalogs. Getty and Ancestry are working with 10 HBCUs—and counting—to create searchable digital archives for each institution, accessible to students and staff on Ancestry’s website. HBCUs maintain full copyright ownership of all their materials, and any money made from licensing the photos goes back into the digitization project. Meanwhile, students on each campus, who can receive stipends provided by the restaurant chain Denny’s, help to identify documents and photos to preserve and digitize them using scanners donated by Epson.

The companies are also preserving current documents and records for students and alumni of the future. 

“You’ll see campus queens from the1950s and campus queens from 2025,” Illidge said, referencing a time-honored HBCU tradition of crowning royal courts.

In October 1986, a 29-year-old nurse at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Polk County named Teresa Scalf was found brutally murdered in her home. There were no obvious suspects to the crime. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) collected forensic evidence, including blood found at the crime scene that did not belong to the victim.

Over the ensuing years, DNA was analyzed from the available forensic evidence but there were no matches detected in the national DNA database, i.e., the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Despite investigators’ extensive efforts and thousands of man-hours, the identity of Scalf’s murderer remained a mystery.

That is until 2022 when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office engaged Othram, a national leader in the burgeoning investigatory field of forensic genetic genealogy to see if advanced DNA testing could help develop new leads in the case.

Blood samples found at the crime scene were sent to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive DNA profile from the DNA of the unknown male suspect. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile to produce new investigative leads, which were provided to PCSO detectives.

Using these leads, PCSO detectives conducted interviews with distant relatives of the unknown suspect. These interviews allowed PCSO detectives to narrow their search to a now deceased man who lived directly behind Scalf at the time of her murder.

The suspect’s son cooperated with the investigation and provided a reference DNA sample that was compared with the male suspect DNA collected from the crime scene in 1986. Results of the comparison confirmed a parent-child relationship, thereby indicating that the blood found at the murder scene belonged to Donald Douglas.

Douglas was interviewed by detectives in 1986 during a routine canvass. But at that time, there was no evidence to link him to the murder. Forensic DNA typing was just beginning to be developed, and at the time of the murder, there was no laboratory offering DNA testing and the concept of a national DNA database had yet to be considered.

Over time, DNA typing became established, but connecting Douglas as a suspect was difficult. Douglas had no criminal history, and therefore, his DNA sample was never obtained by law enforcement. Thus, his profile was not entered into CODIS. Douglas was 33 years old at the time of Scalf’s murder. He died in 2008 from natural causes.

At a news conference earlier this year announcing the identity of the killer, Scalf’s 84-year-old mother remarked: “I lived to see this day. I think that’s why I lived so long.”

“We are extremely grateful for the assistance from Othram, who provided us with the missing element in this investigation, and ultimately enabled this case to finally be solved,” said PCSO Sheriff Grady Judd. “Once our detectives had that, they were able to climb through a family tree that led to the identity of Teresa Scalf’s killer.”

Forensic genetic genealogy is a revolutionary investigative method that marries forensic genetic analysis with genealogical research to help identify unknown individuals, often in cases that have gone cold for years. It merges two distinct fields — forensic genetic science, particularly DNA profiling, and genealogy, the study of family histories — allowing law enforcement to crack cases that were previously unsolvable.

Historically, the most common form of DNA testing used by forensic laboratories analyzed only a very small portion of human DNA, known as short tandem repeats (STRs).

In the late 1990s, the FBI chose 13 STRs as the core set for a DNA identification profile. These 13 STRs (now up to 20 STRs) are analyzed from DNA from crime samples and known reference samples and entered into CODIS. CODIS is the general term used to describe the FBI’s national DNA database program that supports local, state and national DNA indexes to develop investigative leads in an expeditious manner.

But this approach has its limitations. To be successful, the DNA profile from the donor of the crime scene evidence has to be in the FBI’s database, which most likely requires some previous encounter with law enforcement. That’s where forensic genetic genealogy comes into play.

By establishing a genetic association to people who voluntarily have donated their DNA to generate profiles comprised of a different type of markers known as SNPs (or single nucleotide polymorphisms) to public genetic genealogy databases, law enforcement investigators can build a family tree or trees that could lead to near or distant relatives of the unknown source of crime scene evidence or unidentified human remains.

While forensic genetic genealogy is an obvious and powerful application of this new forensic DNA technology, there are investigative applications as well.

A recently published peer-reviewed research paper that compared the use of traditional forensic anthropology — analysis of skulls and bones — and genetic ancestry analysis concluded that while forensic anthropology can provide valuable insights, its accuracy is limited due to the factors such as limited or partial data.

“In contrast, genomic analyses offer a more robust approach, leveraging hundreds to thousands of markers to provide nuanced ancestry estimations. The discrepancies observed highlight the importance of refining current practices and enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration between forensic anthropology and genomics,” the report concluded.

The point is that these advanced capabilities leverage far more genetic information than the standard systems. That means more investigative leads can be developed, which in turn means more cases can be solved via advanced forensic DNA methods, like Forensic Grade Genomic Sequencing, than has ever been possible in previous years.

Founded in 2018, Othram is now the nation’s leading provider of service and technology for forensic genetic genealogy labs. Othram’s mission is to develop technology that can bring certainty to law enforcement investigations such as those that involve unsolved murders, disappearances of missing persons and identification of human remains.

“Justice is not a luxury,” said Dr. Kristen Mittelman, Chief Development Officer at Othram. “It’s a basic human right.”

To date, Othram has been publicly credited with helping to solve nearly 400 cases, including murders, rapes and unidentified human remains. In Florida, the company has been credited with helping identify several dozen murder suspects and human remains in cities and counties including Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Pensacola, Hillsborough, St. Pete, Orlando, Winter Park, Flagler Beach, Collier County and Jupiter. (For a complete list of the locations and details of solved cases in Florida, go to www.DNAsolves.com.)

Still, these successes are just a drop in the bucket to what needs to be done. There are an estimated 250,000 unsolved homicides in the United States and as many as 75,000 unidentified human remains. Funding remains an issue. It costs about $10,000 to conduct a forensic genetic genealogy investigation. With budget constraints at most state and local law enforcement agencies, the additional cost can be a hurdle.

But recognizing the scope of the problem and the potential success of this investigative approach, the Legislature earlier this year passed, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed, the first-of-its-kind legislation that created a nonrecurring pool of $500,000 for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to employ forensic labs like Othram to assist in solving cold cases. The Legislature is expected to revisit the funding needs again next year.

“I’d like to thank the Florida Legislature, and in particular, Sen. Jennifer Bradleyand Rep. Adam Anderson, for recognizing the potential of DNA testing in helping solve these cold cases,” Mittelman said. “Advanced DNA testing is currently being used sparingly but it’s the future method of choice and it can deliver impact at scale.”

 Author John and Myra Nichols always believed their roots ran deep in the Scottish Lowlands where their family history was tied to the life of seafaring fishermen. However, when they set out to confirm their ancestry, they uncovered a truth far richer: their family wasn't just catching fish but claimed by many historians as shaping the course of Western civilization.

Ready to share their story, they published, "The Rebirth of the Knights Templar, from Jerusalem to America: One Family's History." In the book, the couple chronicles their genealogical journey starting with Nichols's Y-DNA strand and his connection to royal linage back to 10 monarchs, including a Roman Senator, an Episcopal Bishop of Metz, a Roman Emperor, and Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland who sheltered the persecuted Knights Templar.

As their research deepened, they uncovered connections to Templar artifacts, including a Cross Charlemagne etched in stone near their home in the Ironwood Forest National Monument in Ariz. and a large stone cross on Oak Island, near Nova Scotia, C.A.

"What amazed us most was realizing that our ancestors helped shape history." Nichols said, "The Knights Templar stood against tyranny, bringing Christianity to Jerusalemand laying the foundation for the values that would eventually define America: free, justice, and faith."

Humbled to discover their legacy, the couple was inspired to tell America's real history and aims to protect Jerusalemduring a time of uncertainty.

"There's so much about our history we believe will make Americans feel proud," Nichols said. "By sharing our family's story, we hope to inspire others to protect sacred places like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, now under threat in the Middle East. Our ancestors' courage and conviction remind us to live purposely, stand for truth, and work toward a hopeful world."

"The Rebirth of the Knights Templar, from Jerusalem to America: One Family's History" 
By Author John and Myra Nichols
ISBN: 9781665750646 (softcover); 9781665750660 (hardcover); 9781665750653 (electronic) 
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author 
John Nichols, a veteran of the United States Army, worked 43 years for Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads. His hobby is Archeology, and he specializes in interpreting petroglyphs or rock carvings. Myra Nichols learned research by participating in a successful Congressional Investigation in the 1988 Yellowstone wildfires. Her master's in education helped her students achieve the highest reading scores for first and second graders in the district. They both wrote a highly successful book in 2016 called "Calalus Revisited.". To learn more, please visit https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/855284-the-rebirth-of-the-knights-templar-from-jerusalem-to-america.