American Investigative Society of Cold Cases and M-VAC Systems Inc form Partnership

Kenneth Mains, Founder and President, The American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC) and Jared Bradley, President, M-VAC Systems, Inc. announced that AISOCC has formed a partnership that will allow AISOCC to test evidence for law enforcement using the M-Vac’s unique wet-vacuum DNA collection method. The M-Vac has been shown to collect up to 200X more DNA material than other methods and may enable AISOCC investigators to collect DNA where traditional DNA collection techniques could not before.

AISOCC is a non-profit, professional organization that reviews cold cases from any law enforcement agency in the United States free of charge. AISOCC’s motto is “it is not about the prosecution or the defense; it’s about the truth.”

“I am very excited and proud to have forged this partnership with M-Vac. I have seen firsthand the results this system can provide in cold cases”, said Mains. “Now, not only will we review cold cases for investigative agencies pro-bono, we can also test their evidence with this innovative system.”

According to Suzanna Ryan, Forensic DNA Expert and Honorary Review Board Member of AISOCC, “The M-VAC System has great potential for collecting “touch” or trace amounts of DNA due in part to the system’s ability to sample large areas of an item of evidence that simply can’t be done with traditional swabbing or cutting techniques used in most forensic laboratories.” Studies have shown that the M-VAC system is able to collect DNA from saliva stains on skin even after an individual has showered. In addition, related studies found that, compared to cuttings, the M-VAC system was able to collect significantly more male touch DNA from a female volunteer’s shirt after the shirt had merely been grabbed by the male. “I am truly excited about using this innovative system on cold case evidence”, added Ryan.

The AISOCC Review Board and Consulting Committee are a multidisciplinary group of scholar/practitioners, investigators, and others whose goal is to review cold cases in order to develop new leads/information and/or investigative strategies for the requesting agencies. This committee is made up of various subcommittees to include Legal, Investigative, Forensic Science, Behavioral Science, Medico legal and Academia. This committee is hand selected by the President of AISOCC and approved by the Board of Directors. You won’t find a more experienced and knowledgeable group of cold case experts in one place anywhere in the world.

The AISOCC Review Board includes the “best of the best” in solving cold cases. With over a century of crime fighting experience behind them, the review board consists of: Henry Lee, Joe Kenda, Mark Safarik, Cyril Wecht, Werner Spitz, John Liebert, Jerry Chisum, Suzanna Ryan, Bob Keppel, Thomas Young, Mary Ellen O’Toole, Jim Clemente and Paulette Sutton.

“AISOCC was formed to assist law enforcement in their quest to solve cold cases as well as helping the victims’ families find the closure and justice they deserve”, said Mains. “With this new formed alliance, I believe AISOCC has taken another huge step forward in this ever developing cold case initiative.”

Please visit the AISOCC web site at http://www.aisocc.com to view a list of the Review Board and Consulting Committee member’s backgrounds and obtain more information about AISOCC.

Membership in AISOCC is open to the public.

Please direct any questions about this press release to

1.Kenneth Mains, telephone 570-220-8897, kennethmains@aisocc.com.

2.Laura Pettler, telephone 704-617-6177, laurapettler@aisocc.com.

3. Jared Bradley, telephone 801-523-3962, jared.bradley@m-vac.com

Case Summary – touch DNA from brick

Case Synopsis

Homicide due to blunt force trauma. In late July 2014, a deceased male was found on a small farm road in a suburban area of a large Chinese city. At the crime scene, a red brick with blood stains was found near the victim. Investigators concluded the victim was killed by the red brick.
Challenge:

Due to a significant amount of victim blood on the brick, the double swab collection method could only collect the DNA information of the victim. The investigators tried to swab the areas of the brick void of the victim’s blood with negative results. The surface of the brick was porous and difficult to collect the DNA evidence, contributing to the negative results.

Processing:

The areas of the brick that were visually free of victim blood were processed with the M-Vac wet-vacuum collection system. Approximately 200 mL of sterile surface rinse solution was sprayed down and collected from the brick surface. The liquid was then concentrated using a 0.45 micrometer Nalgene disposable filter apparatus. The filter was covered, labeled and set aside to dry using standard chain of custody practices.

Laboratory Processing:

The evidence filter was removed from the filter apparatus and cut into small pieces with a sterile scalpel. The substrate was then processed using a QIAGEN Silicone membrane extraction kit M48 to extract the DNA collected. And The extracted DNA was amplified with Life Technologies AmpFℓSTR® Identifiler® Plus PCR Amplification Kit.

Results:

A high quality DNA mixture was obtained. DNA analysis resulted in positive identification of the victim and another male suspect. The DNA profile was compared to the DNA database in China, resulting in a positive match and subsequent arrest of a male suspect. The suspect profile generated by the M-Vac System was a significant part of the evidence used to gain a confession. The case was concluded.

For a copy of the PDF file click here.