bessie
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My favorite touch DNA success story.
Forensic vacuum was key to solving Utah cold-case murder
The Salt Lake Tribune
Sunday, May 18, 2013 - Last Updated: 01:01 am
The M-Vac was invented in Utah by Jared Bradleys father in 2002 as a way to suck bacteria off food. Then Bradley described it to his friend in the FBI, who coveted such a tool for crime scene investigation. Bradleys Bluffdale-based company (his father died in 2009) tried it out and discovered that it could glean 40 percent more DNA from a saliva stain on polyester than a cotton swab, and 88 percent more from a blood stain on nylon fabric.
[...]
Sorenson Forensics, a private crime lab on West Temple, had bought one. In May, they used it on two rocks that had never been tested. Investigators suspect the rocks were used to bludgeon 17-year-old Beslanowitch to death.
[...]
"We are pleased to provide the device that helped solve this case," Bradley said in a statement. "Getting DNA from a cigarette butt is impressive, but collecting a full DNA profile from an [18-year-old] rock is amazing."