CEU/CLE Credit

The Office of the Attorney General will give CEU credit from the following organizations to those who attend the conference in person. You must sign-in daily to get CEU credit.

•    Texas State Bar - 6.0 HOURS (Course Number: 174212747)
Please note: An attorney cannot take the same course twice and double the credit.  

•    TCOLE -17 HOURS

 

Certificates of participation for self-reporting
will be emailed to attendees after the conference.

 

 

 

Click on image below to download the agenda.

Some speakers have provided handouts.
See orange links below.

 

Monday, December 4
4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.           Early Registration/Check In

Tuesday, December 5
7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.        Registration/Check In

8:00 a.m.-8:15 a.m.        Welcome Remarks

8:15 a.m.-9:15 a.m.    The Golden State Killer and Beyond    
Using Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy to Solve 90% of Violent Crime and Bring Justice to Victims

           Anne Marie Schubert
          Sacramento County District Attorney (Ret.)

9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m.    The Golden State Killer and Beyond
Incorporating Genetic Genealogy as a Standard into Criminal Investigations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence 

          Steve Busch
          FBI (Ret.)
          CEO, Indago Solutions

          Steve Kramer
          FBI (Ret.) 
          President, Indago Solutions

10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m.    Break

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.    Remember When DNA was Just DNA?
Six years ago, you sent evidence to the lab, the DNA profile went into “the database” and it either got a hit or it didn’t. That was about all there was to it. Now, there are multiple databases, multiple kinds of profiles, and lots of labs vying for your cases (and dollars). I want to leave you with a toolkit that will help you decide what technology is right for your case and what questions to ask before you hand over that cash.

          Bobby LaRue
          Senior Customer Solutions Manager, HID and Forensics
          Qiagen

11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.        Working Lunch/Hosted by Qiagen       
12:00 p.m.- 12:30 p.m.    Lunch Presentation:  Got Funding?
Bridging the Gap; Season of Justice was founded to make cutting-edge forensic technology accessible to agencies across the country by bridging the financial gap faced by investigative agencies and cold case units. 
 
          Brad Schleppi
          Executive Director
          Season of Justice    
        
          Kendall Mills
          Program Coordinator
          Season of Justice

12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.    Unlocking the Mystery Behind CODIS 
This presentation will cover commonly asked questions regarding the use of CODIS, including what is eligible to be uploaded into CODIS and what are the expectations of the lab, investigating agencies, and Prosecuting Attorneys after a CODIS Hit. New Legislation affecting CODIS operations will also be discussed. 

          Gary J. Molina
          CODIS Program Manager
          Texas Department of Public Safety
          Crime Laboratory Division - CODIS Lab

1:45 p.m.-3:00 pm.    Solving Cases With New DNA Technology 
This presentation will dive into new tools at your disposal to generate leads on your cold cases and current cases. A sneak peek into future technologies just on the horizon will also be discussed.

          Dani Gluth
          Director of Customer Success
          DNA Labs International 

           Cristina Servidio Rentas
          Technical Leader/Mentorship Manager
          DNA Labs International

3:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.        Break

3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m.  NCMEC Resources-
Way More Than You Think!
This presentation will provide an overview of the full array of resources available to law enforcement and families from critical to long-term missing cases. 

          Leemie Kahng-Sofer
          Director
          Case Management, Missing Children Division
          National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
          Texas Regional Office 

          Shalisa McCarter
          Supervisor
          Case Management, Missing Children Division
          National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
          Texas Regional Office 

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. The Deceased Persons Identification
(DPI) Services
Providing a fingerprint-based identification service for active and cold cases.  The Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Biometric Services Section’s DPI Services leverages the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System, and other available databases not connected to the NGI System to provide deceased identification services to authorized law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners.

          Michael J. Lohmann
          Management and Program Analyst
          Federal Bureau of Investigation
          Criminal Justice Information Services Division

5:00 p.m. Conference Adjourns Day 1

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.    Welcome Reception  
Join us for a welcome reception hosted by DNA Labs International

 

Wednesday, December 6

7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.   Sign-In

8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Case Presentation:
“What About Baby Holly?”
In 2022, decades after two bodies were found in a field near Houston, Texas, John and Jane Doe were identified as Dean and Tina Linn Clouse using Forensic Genetic Genealogy. It was then discovered the couple had a 1-year-old daughter, Holly Marie, who had disappeared along with the couple from Florida in 1981. It was feared that Holly had been murdered along with her parents.  This talk will describe the identification of the Clouses, and how their daughter, a 42-year-old mother of five, was located alive and well in Oklahoma.

          Colleen Fitzpatrick Ph.D
          Founder, Identifinders International, LLC 

          Misty Gillis 
          Senior Forensic Genealogist and Cold Case Liaison 
          Identifinders International, LLC 

          Mindy Montford
          Senior Counsel
          Office of the Attorney General
          Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit 

          Rachel Kading
          Sergeant Investigator 
          Office of the Attorney General
          Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit 

          Brent Dupre
          Director of Law Enforcement
          Office of the Attorney General

9:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.        Break

9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m. BREAKOUT SESSION ONE 
                      These breakout sessions will repeat later today

A. Cases Solved by Forensic Genetic Genealogy
Through case studies, this talk will provide insight into how Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) has enabled the resolution of hundreds of cold cases, many of which were thought to be beyond the reach of modern technology.  

          Colleen Fitzpatrick Ph.D
          Founder of Identifinders International, LLC  

B. DNA/FIGG Considerations-From the Lab
to the Witness Stand
FIGG is moving from specialized testing to mainstream use. Ensuring its sustainability and scientific defensibility requires considering the economic outlay, policies, protocols, vendor engagement, sample triaging, validation and preparing for courtroom testimony – with a long-term view to emerging legislation. This panel brings together forensic leaders and FIGG practitioners to discuss these considerations and guidance on how to move forward with this powerful technology.

          Cristina Servidio Rentas
          DNA Labs International

          Dani Gluth 
          DNA Labs International

          Bruce Budowle Ph.D 
          Former Director, UNT Center for Human Identification 

          Peter Stout 
          CEO/President, 
          Houston Forensic Science Center

          Moderator 
          Swathi Kumar Ph.D 
          Qiagen

C. Guide for Solving Homicide Cases and Cold Case Units
The success rate of a cold case unit hinges on its ability to be highly organized and efficient.  This presentation will provide a structured protocol on how to design, operate and efficiently manage a cold case unit and if followed will increase the solvability factor. CLICK HERE for MATERIALS.

          James Adcock Ph. D, 
          Forensic Consultant Homicide and Cold Cases

D. Legal Issues Surrounding FIGG 
This segment will discuss the various legal considerations when FIGG has been used to identify a suspect and a criminal prosecution ensues.  These considerations include accreditation, licensure, discovery, motions in limine, admissibility hearings and the presentation of evidence.

          Dawn Boswell
          Director, Legal Forensics & Training
          UNTHSC Center for Human Identification

          Anne Marie Schubert 
          Sacramento County District Attorney (Ret.)

          Lynn Garcia
          General Counsel
          Texas Forensic Science Commission

          Moderator 
          Mindy Montford
          Senior Counsel
          Office of the Attorney General
          Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit 

11:00 a.m. -Noon        BREAKOUT SESSION TWO
                                        This breakout is an exact 
                                         Repeat of Session One

A. Cases Solved by Genealogy

B. DNA/FIGG Considerations-From the Lab to the Witness Stand

C. Guide for Solving Homicide Cases and Cold Case Units

D. Legal Issues Surrounding FIGG 

Noon-1:15 p.m. Working Lunch 
12:30 p.m.-12:50 p.m.   How Your Associations Can Help You 

          David Brand
          Executive Director, Florida Sheriffs Association
          The Florida Sheriffs Association Cold Case                                            Advisory Commission  

1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.    In Your Own Backyard: UNT Center for Human Identification’s Journey to Forensic Genetic Genealogy
This presentation explores the planning, obstacles and lessons learned for implementing massively parallel sequencing technologies for forensic genetic genealogy in a public laboratory.

          Michael Coble, Ph.D 
          Executive Director 
          UNTCHI

          Melissa Haas
          Lab Director, Senior Technical Leader 
          UNTCHI

2:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.        Break    

2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.    Rootless Hair Technology 
It is now possible to generate a genotype file from the DNA contained within a few centimeters of rootless hair. The amount and unique characteristics of DNA in rootless hair, how this DNA is recovered and sequenced, and how it is used to generate a genotype file for Investigative Genetic Genealogy will be discussed. 
 
          Ed Green, Ph.D 
          Astrea Forensics &
          University of California, Santa Cruz
        
3:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m.    Texas Search and Rescue Resources
This presentation will focus on the resources available to your agency to assist with search and rescue efforts, including newer trends in technology that can detect disruptions in soil using electrical resistivity tomography.

          Krystal Thompson 
          K9 Unit 
          Texas Parks and Wildlife 

          Justin McInnis
          CEO
          TEXSAR

          Shawn Hohnstreiter 
          Director of Field Operations 
          TEXSAR 

          Todd Snyder
          Director of Missing Persons Unit
          TEXSAR

          Dr. John Bryant
          Founder/CEO
          Wavemode Technology

          Dr. Jeff Fitzgerald
          President/Chief Operating Officer
          Wavemode Technology

5:00 p.m.            Conference Adjourns