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Using DNA to crack New England's unsolved killings: ‘We're going to drive cold cases to extinction'
When a driver discovered a human skeleton along the side of on Interstate 195 in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in 1985, investigators got straight to work, trying to piece together clues in an effort to learn who the remains belonged to. The process was thorough and painstaking, with law enforcement even creating a facial reconstruction out of the skull. But they couldn’t…
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Behind the DNA testing used to identify murder victim decades later
New technology is helping to bring answers to old questions, as in the case of of Keith Olson, found along Interstate 195 in Fairhaven in 1985.
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DNA helps ID remains of Newton airman shot down in WWII
The remains of a World War II veteran killed when his bomber was shot down on a mission targeting oil fields near Romania have been identified. U.S. Army Air Force 1st Lt. Alfred Pezzella of Newton, Massachusetts was serving as the bombardier of a B-24 Liberator bomber on Aug. 1, 1943, when the plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire...
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Collection of DNA samples postponed over ACLU objections
The public collection of DNA samples to help law enforcement solve crimes and identify human remains was postponed Saturday in Newton following objections of the American Civil Liberties Union. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement that she postponed “DNA Drive Day” because of concerns raised by the local branch of the ACLU, as well as inclement weather….
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New details in 2007-08 Boston rapes as NJ lawyer appears in court
New details were revealed in court about a string of sexual assaults against women in Boston about 15 years ago that are now being blamed on a man who is now an attorney in the New York City area. Matthew Nilo, 35, faced charges of aggravated rape, kidnapping, assault with attempt to rape and indecent assault and battery in Suffolk…
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Attorney Arrested in Years-Old Boston Rapes Set for Return to Mass.
The attorney who was arrested this week in New Jersey by police and the FBI is set to return to Boston to face charges in a series of sexual assaults and kidnappings from 2007 and 2008. Matthew Nilo appeared in Hudson County Superior Court Thursday morning for an extradition hearing after his arrest on Tuesday at his Weehawken apartment building…
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‘Super Powerful' DNA Tech Led to Lawyer's Arrest in Years-Old Boston Rapes
The arrest this week of an attorney in a series of sexual assaults and kidnappings in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood in 2007 and 2008 highlights the increased use of forensic genetic genealogy by investigators. Matthew Nilo, who was due in a New Jersey court Thursday morning for an extradition hearing, was arrested Tuesday at his Weehawken apartment building across the Hudson…
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Here's How Boston Researchers Say Stress Impacts Your Biological Age
If you ask most people, getting younger instead of older probably sounds pretty appealing. While there’s nothing you can do about your chronological age — the number of years you’ve been alive — scientists in Boston are studying factors that can change your biological age. A recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital shows that physiological stress — stress on...
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Brigham and Women's Study Shines New Light on Biological Age
The recent study, which was published in Cell Metabolism, analyzed the effects of three situations on cells’ biological age: emergency surgery, pregnancy and severe COVID-19 infection.
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Employee of NY State Facility Raped Disabled Woman, Her Daughter Claims in Lawsuit
A woman born to a severely disabled resident of a New York state facility in 1986 has filed a lawsuit saying her mother was raped by an employee whose abuse was covered up by those in charge.
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Woman Found in a Canvas Sack in 1971 ID'd Through Community-Funded DNA Testing
Fifty-two years after the woman’s remains were found in an Arizona desert, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office was able to figure out her name: Colleen Audrey Rice of Portsmouth, Ohio.
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Girl Who Sent Police DNA Evidence to Confirm Santa Claus Visit Gets an Answer
Scarlett Doumato, a 10-year-old from Cumberland, R.I., submitted DNA evidence to the police to determine whether or not Santa Claus visited her home on Christmas Eve. This week, she received a response.
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DNA IDs Boston Woman Found Dead in NH Woods in 1971; Police Searching for Her Killer
A woman whose body was found in the New Hampshire woods more than 50 years ago has now been identified as a 26-year-old who attended Boston University, and authorities are asking people who may have known her for help finding her killer.
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Oldest DNA Discovers Life From 2 Million Years Ago
There’s been an exciting discovery shedding new light on the history of life on Earth.
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Everything You Need to Know About Genetic Genealogy
Decades-old crimes are being solved using genetic genealogy. Here’s what you need to know.