Forensic science Coverage

Amanda Lamb: Bill Lamb's daughter

I am as proud to be Bill Lamb's daughter today as I was when I was a little girl.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

NamUs database connects law enforcement, families in search for missing people

DNA, medical and dental records -- shared across the country -- can help identify more missing people and provide closure for more families.

National database offers law enforcement, families new way to connect in the search for missing people

On the day North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared Missing Person's Awareness Day, the State Bureau of Investigation teamed up with RTI International to host an event to offer new tools for families of the missing.

Shelle Jackson, WRAL reporter

NC State researcher finds DNA in dust

The dust at a crime scene could be a new source of trace evidence.

DNA in dust could be new source of evidence to solve crimes

Dr. Kelly Meiklejohn sees dust as a source of evidence. It can contain some of the hundreds of thousands of skin cells shed by the human body each day.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

'What Remains' podcast episode 18: 'Finding Brittanee'

When a 17-year-old girl from New York goes missing in Myrtle Beach during spring break, at first it appears to be no big deal. Very soon, the entire country is invested in the search for Brittanee Drexel.

Two cold cases solved in Chatham County after 40 years

DNA technology was able to solve cases were 43 and 46 years old, the oldest cases to be solved with forensic genealogy in North Carolina to date.

Nonprofit puts new eyes on cold cases

In this episode of the What Remains podcast: how new eyes and new DNA technology are solving even the oldest cold cases. And Alec's niece walks us through their decades-old search for answers that finally paid off.

What's in the water? Clues to cold cases

Isotope analysis can show where someone has spent time, narrowing a identity for otherwise unknown crime victims.

Forensic genealogy solves Aussie man's identity after 75 years

A man was found dead on Somerton Beach in South Australia in 1948. The case stumped so many people for 75 years until a college professor and a genealogist in California got together and unraveled it.

More people, higher pay needed to help NC families get closure after a loved one's death

As North Carolina grows, the number of people who need autopsies is growing, too. But the number of workers to perform those autopsies is shrinking.

Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

After 60 years, a cold case solved by new DNA technology

Episode 14 of the What Remains podcast reexamines the case of "Little Miss Nobody," and the unknown remains that would take 62 years to identify.

DNA science brings family closure

A sister desperate for answers, an investigator who wasn't afraid to look for them, and improved DNA science has finally made answers attainable in one of the oldest cold cases solved to date in North Carolina.

In cold cases, the information is out there

Episode 11 of the What Remains podcast is a real example of how so many people need to come together to make identifications in these cold cases happen.

What Remains: When a murder case has no body

WRAL's Amanda Lamb tells the story of what happens when a prosecutor is sure someone was murdered, and you know who did it, but you don't have the victim's body.

Covering the heartbreak of missing children

Monica Caison's mission is helping families find their missing loved ones

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

'A little freaked out:' Facial reconstruction combines art, science, care

Have you ever wondered how an artist does an accurate composite picture of a dead person? It's not as easy as you might think.

Somerton man mystery 'solved' as DNA points to man's identity, professor claims

A professor who has dedicated decades to solving one of Australia's most enduring mysteries claims he has discovered the identity of the Somerton man.

Hilary Whiteman, CNN

Science meets art in facial reconstruction

Facial reconstruction artists blend forensic science and art to bring faces to unidentified remains

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

DNA, genealogy help ID victims, suspects in long-cold cases

Barbara Rae-Venter was the first person to use forensic genealogy to solve high-profile murder cases like that of the man known as the Golden State Killer who she identified in 2018.

DNA testing can solve even the coldest of cases

In the What Remains podcast, explore how DNA helps build a family tree to lead to the identification of human remains.

NCIS retiree is an unsung member of cold case investigations in the Carolinas

After a career with NCIS, Joe Kennedy works to help local law enforcement solve cold cases.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Homicide detectives seek justice, not glory

Movies and television shows often portray homicide detectives as real-life cowboys, modern-day superheroes torn from the pages of Marvel comics. But in truth, they are just regular people trying to do the best they can to find justice for murder victims. I feel lucky they have trusted me with their stories.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Story of 'Tent girl' prompted amateur investigator to start site for cold cases

Todd Matthews co-founded The Doe Network, an online clearinghouse for cases where authorities are trying to identify unidentified remains.

The Doe Network changes the way cold cases are documented

Todd Matthews co-founded The Doe Network, an online clearinghouse for cases where authorities are trying to identify unidentified remains.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter