Othram - General Discussion

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Doing, and looking good!
June 7 2022
''The sheriff's office cold case unit could never get an adequate match on existing criminal databases until they sent the DNA to Kristen and David Mittleman at Othram labs in Texas -- their company solely devoted to solving cold cases.
othram lab founders

Othram
Dr. Kristen and David Mittleman

Chief Building Development Officer Kristen Mittleman said the Poole case was not hard to complete.

"There was a family waiting for answers -- her mom was 92-years-old, I believe. So, we don’t have infinite time to bring answers to these people and to let them know what happened to their loved ones," Kristen Mittleman said.

Mittleman’s lab analyzed the DNA and then used genetic genealogy to trace relatives until they determined the remains belonged to Susan Poole – who had disappeared from her Broward County home in 1972.


Othram scientists use new technologies that let them map samples of DNA previously thought too small or degraded to solve murders -- and they have a website that lets the public become a DNA detective, too.

Detectives believe Susan may have been a victim of serial killer Gerard Schaefer -- a former Wilton Manors police officer near where Poole was living. He was convicted for killing several girls also tied up in the mangroves and was later himself killed in prison.

Poole is just one of several cases featured on Othram’s DNASolves.com. The site uses crowdfunding, tips and volunteer DNA samples to solve previously unsolvable cases''
 
Officials then took the profile and were able to make family trees and learned Blaine Has Tricks disappeared in 1977 after hopping a train to Spokane, Washington with his brother, Clayton ‘Ross’ Has Tricks. Ross returned home to North Dakota, but Blaine was never found or heard from again.
 
What was the date of birth for Alice Lou Williams? She went missing in 1981 but her hair style in the picture is from the 1940s.

Edit: never mind, I found the Doe Network entry for her, which gives her date of birth as April 13, 1928, so she would have been 53 when she went missing.
 
What was the date of birth for Alice Lou Williams? She went missing in 1981 but her hair style in the picture is from the 1940s.

Edit: never mind, I found the Doe Network entry for her, which gives her date of birth as April 13, 1928, so she would have been 53 when she went missing.
Yes, we worked from the photo we were provided.
 
I have a masters degree in counseling, but if I was starting out now, I would go into forensic genetic genealogy. It's all the things I love! Othram makes me proud, every time I see solved. This is the greatest advancement I can think of, in my lifetime.
 
I have a masters degree in counseling, but if I was starting out now, I would go into forensic genetic genealogy. It's all the things I love! Othram makes me proud, every time I see solved. This is the greatest advancement I can think of, in my lifetime.
We appreciate your support!
 
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The goal of the new non-profit Vegas Justice League is to bring closure to families in Southern Nevada.

The group gives law enforcement the funds to send DNA from cases that have ran cold to Othram Labs in Texas. The lab uses genealogy to identify a suspect or victim with even the smallest traces of DNA from a crime scene. The lab has already helped solve three cases in the last year.

“Especially being a parent of my own now, and if I don’t have answers to what happened to my children it leaves that hole in your heart,” Penny Chutima said.

Chutima runs the well known Thai restaurant Lotus of Siam. Founder of Vegas Justice League Justin Woo approached Chutima to ask if she’d be interested in being a member, and it was an easy decision for her.

“I can’t speak for the victim’s family, but if that was my situation and if I was able to have someone come and help me,” Chutima said. “I would feel some type of closure.”

Each cold case costs $5,000 to be tested at Othram. Woo said 100% of the funds raised by Vegas Justice League goes to Othram to sponsor the cold cases from local law enforcement.

There are now five members of the Vegas Justice League. The other members are musician Lydia Ansel, real estate broker Craig Tann and aviation entrepreneur Greg Woods.

“As we move through this case log were starting to see people where the families are still here, and they’ve been effected by these crimes,” Woo said. “I’m hoping as we move through this case log, we’ll eventually be able to take criminals off the street.”

The Vegas Justice League also crowd sources to raise money and accepts smaller donations.
 
From Chatham County Sheriff's Office
PITTSBORO — An ongoing partnership between the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Unidentified Project, and Othram Inc., has led to the successful identification of a victim from a 46-year-old murder case.
In March of 1976, Chatham County deputies opened a homicide investigation after the body of an unidentified man was found in Moncure, NC. Early investigation into the case was hampered by a lack of basic information or viable clues, but with advancements in forensic DNA testing, members of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office remained open to new methods and opportunities to identify the deceased.
Sheriff’s Office Investigator Ricky Culberson eventually connected with the NC Unidentified Project, an initiative was co-founded by Dr. Ann Ross (Board Certified Forensic Anthropologist and Director of the NC Human Identification & Forensics Analysis Lab at North Carolina State University in Raleigh) and Leslie Kaufman (Forensic Genealogist with First Genes, LLC, and member of the Carolinas Cold Case Coalition) in 2020 to raise and provide funding or assistance with unidentified person cases. Forensic testing can quickly drain the resources of any law enforcement agency, so the NC Unidentified Project obtained a small grant to begin funding DNA extraction and analysis on behalf of participating agencies.
The NC Unidentified Project worked with Othram Inc. to employ Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a genealogical profile from skeletal remains. Ultimately, a DNA link to the 1976 case led investigators to a family member of the victim who identified the deceased subject as Jimmy Mack Brooks. Brooks, an unmarried Army veteran, was only 26 years old when he was killed.
“It is bittersweet to be able to share this information with his loved ones who never stopped looking for him,” says Lieutenant Sara Pack of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. “Although his identity has finally been revealed, there are many more questions to be answered. We will continue to seek justice for Jimmy and his family.”
“I have worked on criminal cases all over the state, but cases involving unidentified bodies really speak to my heart,” explains Kaufman. “These men and women deserve to have their names known and their stories told… That’s what drives me to do what I do.”
Jimmy Mack Brooks is the seventh victim so far to be positively identified by the NC Unidentified Project as well as the second Chatham County victim to be identified by the group using advanced DNA technology; in April, the Sheriff’s Office revealed the previously unknown identity of another homicide victim, Alexander “Alex” Brown, Jr., who was reported missing out of Baltimore, MD, in December 1978.
“Identifying these victims has given us a new launch point and fresh leads to follow,” says Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson. “We are endlessly grateful for all of the hard work and partnerships that led to these amazing revelations. We are hopeful that such technology will lead to similar breakthroughs in other unsolved cases.”
“Leslie [Kaufman] and Dr. Ann Ross of the NC Unidentified Project are providing an incredible service to law enforcement agencies and families of victims throughout the state. They are brilliant at what they do, and we are excited to continue partnering with them in the future,” explains Pack. “We are also deeply appreciative of the support we have received from the NCSBI Cold Case Investigation Team, Othram Inc., and the NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Without their assistance, none of this would be possible!”
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is now asking other members of the public to share what they know regarding the life and death of Jimmy Mack Brooks. Investigators say a single small detail could potentially lead to the next big leap in the case. Anyone with information pertaining to events or circumstances leading to the disappearance and murder of Jimmy Mack Brooks is asked to call the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office at 919-542-2911.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office is now asking other members of the public to partner in the search for answers surrounding Brown’s disappearance and untimely death.

“Leslie [Kaufman] and Dr. Ann Ross of the NC Unidentified Project are providing an incredible service to law enforcement agencies and families of victims throughout the state. They are brilliant at what they do, and we are excited to continue partnering with them in the future,” explains Pack. “Thankfully, Alexander Brown, Jr.’s name has been returned to him, and his family can finally cease their search for him… but our pursuit of justice isn’t over.”
 
Cases that still need to be funded:

Who is "Baby Joan Doe" (1999)?


Who is "Little Dixie" Baby Doe?





Who is Will County County John Doe (1974)?

Who is Stilly John Doe (1980)?

 
Stellar work once more with cases from Snohomish County, Washington. It'll be the end of an era once their backlog is cleared. They had them in the double digits at one point I think. Only five now listed on NamUs. I'll dub them the ''Final Five''.
 
Stellar work once more with cases from Snohomish County, Washington. It'll be the end of an era once their backlog is cleared. They had them in the double digits at one point I think. Only five now listed on NamUs. I'll dub them the ''Final Five''.
All their Doe cases with DNA are in process with us. There are two left that need to be funded (the rest are funded or solved): DNASolves - Your DNA Could Help Solve a Crime
 
Looks like that case is already covered and in progress (not by us).
 
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