At some point in life we have to look to younger generations to take the wheel when it comes to systemic problems in our communities. They are the ones who will lead the charge to create cultural shifts, shifts in mindsets and real and lasting chang…
There are plenty of worthy causes here in the United States and abroad that you can donate your money to. So, why would anyone donate money for DNA testing in cold cases? Well, there’s an entire online community dedicated to helping solve thes…
The Disappearance of Brittanee Drexel Episode 18 of the What Remains podcast is about the murder of Brittanee Drexel, a young woman who disappeared during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in 2009. Despite national attention, the case went …
When Alexander Brown disappeared from his home in Baltimore in December 1978, his family was floored. In their minds, there was no way the engaging and kind man they called “Alec” would just walk away from his life. But the search for Al…
At first, Professor Glen Jackson, who teaches Forensic and Investigative Science at West Virginia University, had a hard time explaining to me what isotopes are. He told me he is used to speaking with chemists, not lay people like myself. In fact, h…
Sometimes, a cold case is like an itch that you have to scratch in order to function. That’s what the Somerton Man case has been like for electrical engineering professor Derek Abbott who teaches at Adelaide University in South Australia. He f…
In 1960 a child’s remains were found in a remote area of Yavapai County, Arizona. There were no clues to identify her and solving murders with DNA testing wasn’t possible back then. People in the community came together to bury the child…
Just before her high school graduation Alice Almendarez took one more trip to the morgue to see if she could find her missing father, John. She needed to know if he was dead or alive. What she didn’t know at the time was that her father’…
The Challenge of Identifying People Who Live in the Shadows | What Remains Podcast Episode 12 Amanda Lamb It’s not unusual for remains to go unidentified when a person is living off the grid—living on the streets, stuck in poverty, add…
DNA Profiling And “The CSI Effect” | What Remains Podcast Episode 11 Amanda Lamb We’ve talked a lot about the CSI Effect in What Remains. Crime scene techs on popular TV shows use some magical scientific technology that does…
The Role Of A Journalist In An Ongoing Investigation | What Remains Podcast Episode 10 Amanda Lamb As a journalist who has been covering the criminal justice system for decades, one of the biggest challenges for me is getting information and …
Covering The Heartbreak Of Missing Children | What Remains Podcast Episode 9 Amanda Lamb The cases I absolutely hate to cover are those involving missing, injured or dead children. This comes from a place of being a mother myself, and having …
Science Meets Art In Facial Reconstruction | What Remains Episode 8 Amanda Lamb I doubt any child ever proclaims: “I want to draw dead people when I grow up.” It’s not exactly something you think about as a kid, or even as a…
An Unsung Member Of Cold Case Investigations | What Remains Episodes 6 and 7 Amanda Lamb The best part of creating What Remains has been meeting all kinds of people who work behind the scenes on cases that no one ever hears about. And w…
Homicide Detectives Seek Justice, Not Glory | What Remains Podcast Episode 5 Amanda Lamb For homicide detectives, solving a cold case is about more than just solving a mystery. It’s about catching the bad guy, getting a conviction in co…
The Doe Network Changes The Way Cold Cases Are Documented | What Remains Episode 4 Amanda Lamb When I first started my research for What Remains, I was doing random online searches, just trying to get a handle on what the biggest factor…
What Happens At A Body Farm? What Remains Podcast, Episode 3 Amanda Lamb Putting together a podcast is a lot more organic than you might think. You have an idea, and then that idea percolates in your brain giving birth to more ideas or new paths y…
What is Forensic Anthropology? What Remains Podcast Episode 2 Amanda Lamb Forensic anthropology is the study of human remains – usually skeletal remains – to help with criminal investigations. If anyone can answer the question “W…
Introducing What Remains – True Crime Meets Forensic Science – New podcast investigates some of the oldest cold cases in North Carolina Amanda Lamb If you grew up in the 1980’s, you probably remember the missing c…