Modern Forensic Genealogy with Colleen Fitzpatrick of Identifinders International
Finding Genius Podcast
Richard Jacobs
4.4 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2020
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Are you a mystery fan who also loves science? This podcast is for you! Considered the founder of modern forensic genealogy, Colleen Fitzpatrick shares how genetic genealogy works.
Listen and learn
- How she became interested in the possibilities of genetic genealogy for solving crimes,
- What are some examples of her more interesting cases, and
- What her advice is for those interested in getting into the field.
Real genetic genealogy crime mysteries aren't solved after the next commercial, says Colleen Fitzpatrick. "It's hard," she adds. "It's not a couple-of-hours deal." Based in Southern California, Identifinders International helps find people, alive or deceased. They might help solve issues around unclaimed property or fraud cases as well as identifying victims and perpetrators in violent crimes.
Colleen Fitzpatrick actually has a doctorate in nuclear physics, so is no stranger to the hard sciences. In 2011, it occurred to her that the markers people used in genetic genealogy were the same markers forensic science was using to get crime scene Y chromosome DNA profiles. She realized she could take a forensic Y DNA profile and compare it to genetic genealogy databases and identify the last name of a criminal.
In 2015, the Phoenix Police Department hired her to apply genetic genealogy to cold cases and her work helped solve the Phoenix Canal Murders. She tells listeners some of the intricacies of this case, including how she helped narrow the suspect list from thousands to a list of five, and then, after a little more police work, helped correctly identify the killer.
She shares more examples of genetic genealogy solved cases and discusses how those interested in the field might start practicing the kind of work she does. She also explains upcoming advancements in the field, including knowing "more and more with less and less," integration of mapping and facial reconstruction, and better technology over all.
For more about her work and company, see their website: identifinders.com.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Forget frequently asked questions common sense common knowledge or Google how about advice from a real genius |
| 0:06.8 | 95% of people in any profession are good enough to be qualified and licensed 5% go and beyond. They become very good at what they do. |
| 0:15.1 | But only 0.1% are real Jesus. |
| 0:18.3 | Richard Jacobs has made it his life's mission to find them for you. |
| 0:22.4 | He hunts down and interviews geniuses in every field, sleep science, cancer, stem cells, |
| 0:27.2 | ketogenic diets, and more. |
| 0:28.8 | Here come the geniuses. |
| 0:30.4 | This is the Finding Genius Podcast. |
| 0:33.0 | That is Richard Jacobs. |
| 0:35.0 | Hello, this is Richard Jacobs with the Finding Genius Podcast. |
| 0:41.0 | I have Colleen Fitzpatrick, |
| 0:43.0 | she's the founder of Identifiers International. |
| 0:46.0 | She's widely recognized as the founder of Modern Forensic Genealogy, |
| 0:50.0 | which will be really interesting to talk about. |
| 0:52.0 | So Colleen, |
| 0:52.8 | thanks for coming. How you doing? Yeah, I'm doing great. |
| 0:55.4 | Thanks for having me. |
| 0:56.4 | Yeah, what is forensic genealogy and then tell me about identifiers |
| 1:00.6 | international? Okay, well, forensic genealogy is, you know, the combination of using genealogy |
| 1:07.7 | for forensic work. |
| 1:09.4 | Now it started out more as a hobby definition, you know, applying, say, scientific ideas to just regular genealogy. |
| 1:18.0 | But it evolved into real, you know, doing real forensic work using genealogy that is the legal system. |
... |
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