Science Thursday

New York shuts down its ballistics database, and child death investigations are contested in California and Illinois. Here’s a roundup of this week’s forensics news:

 

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

cut funding to the state Combined Ballistics Identification System

because it hasn’t been useful in solving crimes.

 

Pathologists in the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office are

deeply divided over the forensic evidence

used to convict a 51-year-old woman of shaking her 7-week-old grandson to death.

 

A Chicago Judge

denied a new trial

for a woman convicted in the death of a toddler despite the fact that the medical examiner who testified was not a certified forensic pathologist.

 

An upstate New York county is

considering eliminating its coroners office

and using contract death investigators and autopsy providers to save money.

 

Triclosan, a preservative used in many household products, may have a

new application as a preservative for traces of gasoline

and other ignitable fluids commonly collected in arson investigations.

 

Forensic voice identification experts are

weighing in on the Trayvon Martin case

.