Shane Williams is an up and coming forensic scientist who is also becoming an expert in DNA and DNA collection.  His research at UC Davis was part of an amazing project centered around generating DNA profiles from various sexual assault scenarios that is changing the way forensic scientists and law enforcement investigators approach solving rapes, sexual assaults, murders and other heinous crimes.  Shane provided the following quote about his experience with the M-Vac:

“For my thesis research, I used the M-Vac to collect salivary DNA from the skin. The saliva was deposited on the skin, subjected to a shower, and collected for DNA analysis. I’m happy to announce that the M-Vac successfully recovered the salivary DNA from the skin after the subject showered. In addition, I successfully profiled the samples with Y-Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) matching the collected DNA to the male saliva donor.

During the course of my project, I found the M-Vac to be a user-friendly machine. The M-Vac was extremely useful for large surface area recovery. I appreciated that I could collect from a large surface area and yet have only one sample for DNA purification, quantification, and profiling. To cover the same amount of surface area with the traditional cotton swab(s) would have required many collections. The M-Vac is gentle on the skin and never caused any bruising, marks, or irritation to the skin of my participants. In fact, the participants looked forward to having the saliva collected with the M-Vac.

I was concerned about the buffer filtering process, but found those concerns to be invalid. I passed the buffer over the filter multiple times in a matter of minutes. Then I was able to purify (extract) the DNA on the filter with the same method as a cotton swab. This allowed me to process the filter alongside other traditional collections with no special treatment. I’m proud to say I used the M-Vac for my thesis research, and I believe the machine will become a valuable tool for all forensic laboratories.

If you would like to read more about my thesis research and results obtained with the M-Vac, please reference the article “Recovery of Salivary DNA from the Skin after Showering” that will soon be published by the Journal of Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology.”

Shane Williams   University of California – Davis Forensic Science Master’s Program Graduate

Much has been written about the horrific murder of the teenager Krystal Beslanowitch, who was bludgeoned to death by a river rock in December of 1995.  How and why Krystal ended up 45 miles away from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she lived at the time, is still a mystery, but regardless the last night she spent alive must have been a horrific event that no young girl should ever have to experience.

The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office did all they could to solve the case, interviewing hundreds of people, but with limited evidence and no solid leads or suspects the case went cold and remained unsolved for 18 years.  Fortunately the investigators had the foresight to keep all of the evidence, including the bloody rock that was used to kill Krystal, until technology could improve to the point where the suspect’s touch DNA could be collected from the rock.  The forensic lab first attempted to use traditional methods with no results, but after using the M-Vac System they were able to produce a full profile of the suspect.  Investigators were then able to locate the suspect, Joseph Simpson, who was then living in Florida, arrest him and bring him back to Utah.  As of the writing of this post Joseph Simpson is in jail waiting for trial.

The responding officer to the crime scene all those years ago was a young Sheriff’s Deputy named Todd Bonner.  He is referred to as Sheriff Bonner today, having worked his way up to the Wasatch County’s highest law enforcement position.  When asked about this case, Sheriff Bonner stated “It’s a case that’s haunted me for almost my whole career,” but continued about the resolution of the investigation with “It’s closure for me, as well. I’m very thrilled of the outcome, but it has taken a lot of time, and it has taken a lot of work.”

After most of the attention had moved on and the case wasn’t causing as much of a stir we were able to discuss with the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office how the suspect’s DNA profile was obtained, Sheriff Bonner gave us this statement:

“There are many officers, analysts and agencies that need to be thanked for their part in solving the Beslanowitch homicide. Without a doubt, the M-Vac system is the major tool that allowed us to make critical DNA connections in this case.”

M-Vac Systems would like to thank Sheriff Bonner and all of the other investigators who worked tirelessly over a span of almost two decades to bring closure to this case.  Law Enforcement Officers like them are a major reason people feel safe in communities.  The fact that our technology could make a difference is frankly why we are in business and brings an incredible amount of satisfaction.  The M-Vac has since been used on a number of other cases, but Krystal’s case will always be one of the first and most significant.

Jared Bradley