mvacblog

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

New forensic DNA collection technology can help solve more crime

RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA — November 11, 2014—Serological Research Institute (SERI) announced today they are the first lab on the West Coast to offer a new, wet-vacuum based forensic DNA collection method. This new method has helped solve criminal investigations which were otherwise stalled or had gone completely cold. The cutting edge technology, called the M-Vac System, has been shown to collect higher levels of DNA material from a number of substrates when compared to traditional methods, often times enabling more DNA profiles to be generated.   The expert criminalists at SERI want to initially use the M-Vac on cold cases and heinous crimes, but will utilize the M-Vac System wherever appropriate to help generate a DNA profile.

“The purpose of the M-Vac System is to give investigators and crime labs another DNA collection option and an increase in collection capability,” states Jared Bradley, President of M-Vac Systems. “Serological Research Institute is a respected, accredited lab that provides an invaluable service to other crime labs and law enforcement agencies. We are excited to partner with SERI and applaud their willingness to adopt new technologies in their quest to keep their edge as a lab and as a business. We are confident they will be able to help solve crimes that may have never been solved without this new DNA collection method.”

By adopting this new sampling method, Serological Research Institute has positioned itself as one of the most capable labs in the country and able to offer a distinctive service to its customers that is not currently available in the surrounding state or regional crime labs. SERI focuses on data and casework when evaluating new equipment and methods, and the M-Vac System had both. For example, the prior year the M-Vac collected enough DNA material from a rock to generate a full DNA profile, even after traditional collection methods had failed. The substrate, a river rock, had sat in an evidence room for over 18 years.

“Collecting DNA material at the point of deposit is critical, whether it is at the crime scene or from evidence that is brought to our lab. As a cutting edge forensic lab we recognize the limitations of other methods so jumped at the chance to increase our collection capability,” states Gary Harmor, Executive Director and Chief Forensic Scientist of Serological Research Institute. “Our goal is to provide a level of service that puts us at the forefront of any lab discussion by our customers. By being the first lab on the West Coast to offer the M-Vac System collection service we are confident we will continue to be a leader in the crime lab industry. In the short time we’ve had the M-Vac in our lab we have already been contacted by customers asking about it so we know it was a good move and we will be working those cases soon.”

About Serological Research Institute

Our analytical laboratory specializes in the identification and testing of biological evidence in criminal and civil cases. Services include location and identification of evidentiary stains, traditional forensic serology methods and advanced forensic DNA typing procedures. Our scientists routinely review case documentation for our clients and will perform re-analysis of evidence as requested. Our clients include law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, corporations and private individuals.

SERI has worked over 8,500 cases and processed over 50,000 forensic DNA samples. Our analysts have testified in multiple states and jurisdictions across the U.S. The extensive forensic biology experience and expertise of our criminalists lead the field in the handling of challenging forensic evidence samples. www.serological.com

Contacts:

Serological Research Institute
Ledia McVeigh
510-223-7374

lediam@serological.com