What The Forensics

Welcome to What the Forensics! On our website you'll find some info about the hosts, sources and related images from our episodes, past Forensic Friday posts, how to contact us, and more! 

GENERAL UPDATES

The Long Island Serial Killer has been Identified

As of January 2024, Rex Heuermann has been charged with the deaths of four women who are known as the Gilgo Beach Four. In June 2024, two more victims were added to his charge list. If you want to know more about the Long Island Serial Killer and what all he has done, we did an episode in 2021 (Ep. 23 - Unsolved Serial Killers) before it was found out that Heuermann was the killer. 

Let us know if we should do an updated episode on him and his crimes!

Robert Pickton Was Killed!!

We're sure most of you guys already know about this but incase you didn't: Robert Pickton passed away from a prison attack in May 2024.

In February 2024, Robert Pickton became eligible for parole, which is asinine in itself but there was no court date set. On May 19, 2024 he was attacked by another prisoner, who has a history of attacking other prisoners. He stabbed Pickton in the head with a "broken broom-like handle". Pickton was airlifted to a hospital and put on life support. He ended up passing away from his injuries on May 31, 2024 at the age of 74 years old. 

Episode with Dr. Meredith Tise from Suncoast Forensics

In Episode 64, Dr. Meredith Tise discusses the groundbreaking forensic work that has unveiled the truth about the Dozier School, including the discovery of unmarked graves and the identification of long-lost remains. The Dozier School for Boys, located in Marianna, Florida, gained notoriety for decades of alleged abuse, neglect, and unexplained deaths. Through meticulous analysis of forensic evidence, she pieces together the harrowing stories of the young boys who suffered at the hands of a system meant to rehabilitate but instead became a house of horrors. You hear stories from survivors and family members of children who went to the school and Meredith's experience working on the site. It's definitely an episode you don't want to miss.

If you want more from Meredith you can follow her @suncoastforensics on Facebook & Instagram and her website is www.suncoastforensics.com

Thanks again Meredith for coming on our show! 

Our First Guest Episode

We decided to switch things up for Episode 61 and have Erin West & Ashley Church from Gap Science on. They approached us earlier this year about recording and we were finally able to organize 5 peoples schedule and create an episode! It was so awesome to be able to talk with people who have a combined 25 years experience in the forensic field and we hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

Listen to Episode 61 to learn more about Erin and her work with Gap Science. You can also check out their website www.gapscience.com  and listen to their podcast Forensics Unfiltered. They are also on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, & Pinterest: @gapscience.

Lori Vallow is Sentenced to Life in Prison

On July 31, 2023, Judge Steven Boyce handed Lori Vallow her sentence in court:

The three life sentences for the murders are to be served consecutively, meaning they are to be served one after the other. The two other life sentences and the 10 year imprisonment for grand theft will be served concurrently, meaning alongside the other sentences. 


Want to hear about what lead to this sentencing decision, and for Judge Steven Boyce to say to Lori Vallow, "you chose the most evil and destructive path possible"?  Check out Ep. 54 Pt. 1 - Ongoing Cases: Lori Vallow 

Read more at some of these sources:

Paul Bernardo Transfer to Medium-Security Prison

Conversations have begun around the transfer of Paul Bernardo into a medium-security prison earlier this month (June 2023). There is a 3 person review committee that is expected to have a  decision regarding the transfer by early to mid-July. Paul Bernardo has been incarcerated in a maximum-security prison since 1993. 

“Specifically, the review will examine the appropriateness of his security classification and transfer to a medium-security facility, review victims considerations and notifications, and whether the legislative and policy framework was followed in this case,” the Correctional Service of Canada said. 

Apparently, the appropriate security level for an offender has to be reconsidered every 2 years with a number of considerations taken into account. One of the considerations is if the offender can be properly managed in a different security level prison, which in this case it was decided that Paul Bernardo could be managed in a medium-security prison. 

Nothing has been decided on this yet but we will make sure to keep you guys updated! And if you want to  know more about who Paul Bernardo is and what crimes he and his wife, Karla Homolka, committed you can listen to Ep. 03 - Paul Bernardo & DNA

UPDATE (July 15, 2023): Paul Bernardo has been moved to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security prison in the Laurentians region of Quebec. According to a CBC article, he will be kept in isolation during his stay at this prison and the likelihood of him being transferred to a minimum security prison is slim. There is still a chance that he could get returned to a maximum security prison if he does not behave well in the medium-security prison. 

UNABOMBER Ted Kaczynski passed away at age 81

On Saturday June 10, 2023, Ted Kaczynski was found unresponsive in his cell early in the morning. Some sources suspect that he passed away from suicide however his cause of death has not been released. He was transferred to this medical facility in 2021 due to a cancer diagnosis and a decline in his health. If you want to know more about the UNABOMBER you can go to Ep. 30 - Ted Kaczynski & Forensic Linguistics where we cover his life and crimes and how forensic linguistics played a role in apprehending him. 

It is kind of weird to think that he is dead now as he has had such an impact on society and history although I am sure he is thankful to be gone with all the technological advancements and AI technology coming into fruition.

Need a laugh? Read this unbelievable court case

Rebecca found this hilarious court decision document that we thought all of our listeners might want to read as well. This is a real case that took place in Quebec, Canada and some of the excerpts are obsurd! Nicole was nice enough to perform some re-enactments of some of the particualrly ridiculous sections so scroll down to witness those masterpieces. Below is the court document for your reading pleasure and to the left is what we put up on our instagram story that contains the most notable excerpts, in our opinions, from the case.

We hit 10K downloads!!

On Dec 27, 2022 we hit 10,000 downloads!! Thank you to everyone who listens and supports us! We couldn't do this without all of you!! Let's go 2023!!

Giveaway #2!!

We hosted another giveaway, this time with 2 winners! 

Each received two WTF stickers, a WTF pen, and one of our last two WTF tumblers. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway!!

Limited Edition WTF Tumblers

Thanks to everyone who bought one of our Limited Edition WTF Tumblers!

Journey & Nicole Tour The Calgary Forensic Centre

This spring Nicole came out to Alberta to celebrate Journey's graduation and we were able to tour the Calgary Forensic Centre. We got to practice developing fingerprints on a bunch of different surfaces, made casts of Nicole's hand and shoe, and then got a tour of the whole building! A huge thank you to Constable Schofield for showing us the facility and letting us perform some experiments. 

*We were given permission to take photos*

Congratulations Audrey Lambert on being our very first contest winner!!

As of September 3, 2021 we have been podcasting for one whole year! Where'd the time go! To celebrate, we hosted our first (and not last) giveaway and due to it's success, stay tuned for more giveaways in the future! Thank you for all your continual support