ISHI 37 Keynote Series
From Evidence to Impact
Written by: Tara Luther, Promega
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For years, the only biological evidence in the Anne Pham cold case was a single rootless hair shaft. By standard forensic protocols, that evidence was not suitable for nuclear DNA analysis.
Modern sequencing technologies changed what that hair could yield. The case was solved.
That moment, when evidence previously considered unusable becomes evidence that holds up in court, is where ISHI 37's keynote series begins. "From Evidence to Impact" spans two sessions at this year's symposium in Providence, examining what is now scientifically possible in forensic DNA analysis, and what those results reach when they leave the lab.
Forensic Firsts in the Courtroom
The Tuesday opening session examines two landmark cases in which evidence types long considered limited for traditional analysis were evaluated using advanced sequencing and computational approaches, and what the analytical strategies behind those results mean for working analysts.
The first is the Russell Marubbio investigation out of Virginia, which produced what is believed to be the first U.S. conviction using ultra-deep whole-genome sequencing to differentiate identical twins. Identical twins had previously been considered genetically indistinguishable in forensic analysis. The approach targeted rare somatic mutations: post-zygotic DNA changes that accumulate independently in each twin over time. Identifying those variants required sequencing depth well beyond standard forensic protocols and a quality control framework sufficient to carry the evidentiary weight the case required.
The second is the Anne Pham cold case. Modern sequencing technologies made it possible to recover genome-wide data from the degraded hair shaft material, enabling SNP-based identification where no CODIS profile existed. The session will address contamination safeguards, validation studies, and the conservative interpretation frameworks applied when working with that level of biological limitation.
Across both cases, the session is designed to give attendees a grounded framework for evaluating when advanced methods are appropriate and how to apply and communicate them with rigor.
Dr. Janet Cady, Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at Parabon NanoLabs, will present on the Marubbio case. Dr. Cristina Valencia, Laboratory Director at Astrea Forensics, will present on the Anne Pham case and the whole-genome sequencing approach applied to rootless hair shaft evidence.
When DNA Changes Everything: The Robert Eugene Brashers Case
The Wednesday keynote examines a different question: not what is now scientifically possible, but what a forensic identification sets in motion after the case file closes.
Between 1985 and 1998, Robert Eugene Brashers committed violent crimes across South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, and beyond. His identification as the perpetrator in the Yogurt Shop Murders came not from a single breakthrough, but from the intersection of STR analysis, forensic investigative genetic genealogy, ballistic evidence, and persistent interagency collaboration. That innovation and collaboration led to resolution of multiple cold cases, exonerated wrongfully accused individuals, and revealed the scope of harm that had been hidden across jurisdictional boundaries.
The session examines that case through three distinct perspectives.
Shena Latcham, Forensic Scientist Supervisor of DNA Casework at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory, will discuss the 1998 Sherri and Megan Scherer double homicide investigation: the evidence collected, CODIS hits across multiple states, the exhumation process, human remains analysis, and STR confirmation.
Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore will explain her genetic genealogy work on the Sherer and other connected cases, linking crimes across jurisdictions that had remained unsolved and her continuing work to identify other cold cases that may be attributable to Brashers.
Deborah Brashers closes the session. She is Robert Eugene Brashers' daughter.
Her account offers insight into the family impact of forensic identification, a reality that exists alongside the resolution experienced by victim families. For ISHI attendees, her perspective closes the arc the series began on Tuesday: results produced in the lab reach people in ways that extend well beyond the case file.