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Colleen M. Fitzpatrick | |
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| Born | April 25, 1955 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Education | Rice University, Duke University |
| Occupation(s) | Forensic scientist, genealogist |
| Known for | Co-founder of the DNA Doe Project |
Colleen M. Fitzpatrick (born April 25, 1955) is an American forensic scientist, genealogist and entrepreneur. She helped identify remains found at the crash site of Northwest Flight 4422, which crashed in Alaska in 1948. Fitzpatrick co-founded the DNA Doe Project which identifies previously unidentified bodies and runs Identifinders International, an investigative genetic genealogy consulting firm that helps identify victims and perpetrators of violent crimes. [1]
Colleen M. Fitzpatrick was born April 25, 1955 [2] in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fitzpatrick attended an all-girls Catholic school and nurtured her scientific curiosity through various science competitions including a summer science program in Baton Rouge funded by the National Science Foundation. [3] While applying to colleges, Fitzpatrick conducted an experiment on the Benham disk for her school's science fair. [4] Her project was selected for the Tomorrow's Scientists and Engineers award by Humble Oil which awarded her $6,000 towards her college tuition. [4] She received her BA in physics (1976) from Rice University, and her MA (1983) and PhD in nuclear physics (1983) from Duke University. [3] [5]
Fitzpatrick lectured at Sam Houston University for two years, before leaving to work on a laser radar system at Rockwell International and the LITE Laser at Spectron Laser Systems. [4] She then founded Rice Systems, Inc., an optics company, in her garage in 1986. [3] At Rice Systems, Fitzpatrick worked on contracts with the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, NASA, and DARPA developing high-resolution laser measurement techniques. [3] [4] [5] Her company grew to employ ten scientists before closing in 2005. [5] At the time, Rice Systems had been working with NASA on a spacecraft to Jupiter before funding was cut by the Bush administration. [4]
Fitzpatrick transitioned into genealogical research in 2005 after publishing her own book Forensic Genealogy, [6] aiming to establish the field. [7] Her early work in forensic genealogy pertained to historical and missing persons cases, as Forensic genetic genealogy would not emerge until 2018. [8]
Forensic genealogy uses DNA analysis in combination with traditional non-DNA genealogical research methods to help create leads for unsolved crimes by identifying suspects or victims. [9] [10] Forensic genealogy usually relies on public records, historical documents, and a heavy emphasis on familial connections. [11]
Forensic genetic genealogy (FGG), also known as Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) expands on forensic genealogy by analyzing hundred of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the genome, allowing researchers to compare genetic genealogy databases. [12] [13] With this new technology, researchers can compare known DNA and unknown DNA to find individuals that share segments of matching or similar DNA. [13] This allows investigators to potentially identify unknown DNA samples.
Since her career in 2005, Fitzpatrick has helped identify several people, including victims, perpetrators, formerly-unidentified, and more. In doing so, she has created and been a huge factor in organizations and foundations such as Identifinders International, [14] the Porchlight Project, [15] and the DNA Doe Project. [16]
Since then, she has traveled around the world to spread her knowledge on Forensic Genealogy. Her casework and consulting span over 50 countries, due to her language skills. [17] Colleen Fitzpatrick has a working knowledge of 5 or more languages. [18] These include English, French, German, Spanish, German, Russian, and Chinese. [19]
Shortly after the success of her first book [20] she was asked to locate a married couple in Taiwan due to them fleeing from the state for unpaid taxes. [21] After the deal was made, and she successfully found them, this case would mark the beginning of her relationship with Andy Yeiser. [21] At the time he was an engineer and business management consultant, but over the next few years, they co-founded Identifinders international together. [21]
Formally founded in 2011, Identifinders International's mission is to use investigative genetic genealogy to help law enforcement agencies and the public solve cold cases, conduct identifications and searches, and more. [22] These investigations would lead to identify countless victims, perpetrators of violent crimes, and Jane and John Doe cases.
Fitzpatrick still has an active role in Identifinders International.
Notable contributions:
The DNA Doe Project was co-founded in 2017 by Margaret Press and Colleen Fitzpatrick as a non-profit corporation. [38] The mission was to identify John and Jane Does using forensic genetic genealogy. [38] [39] Fitzpatrick also served as the co-executive direct from 2017 to 2020, when she resigned. [40] [41]
A year after the project was founded, in 2018 they identified their first John Doe case, identifying Robert Ivan Nichols, who was an identify thief and took on the alias Joseph Newton Chandler. He committed suicide in 2002. [42] [43]
Only a month later, in Troy, Ohio, the team would announce and identify the "Buckskin Girl" as Marcia L. King, a women who was murdered in 1981. [42]
More contributions:
These are only a handful of contributions during Fitzpatrick's term. A total of 65 re-identified John and Jane Does were discovered by the end of 2021. [42]
She is and an Associate Member of the American Academy of Forensic Science. [63] In 2021, Dr. Fitzpatrick was made a full member of the Vidocq Society, make her one of 82 full members, a number set by the society's charter. Colleen Fitzpatrick is also a current membership in the Australia and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS). [19] [14] Additionally, she is also in a professional affiliation with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM). [64] [19] Colleen can also be seen professionally associated with the Attorney General of Texas' Advisory Committee. [65] Colleen Fitzpatrick is a Forensic Genealogist consultant to numerous associations and professional projects. This includes her membership with The Armed Forces DNA Identification (AFDIL). [66] [19] [67]
Previously, Colleen was a Fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) [14]
Colleen Fitzpatrick’s labor goes beyond her forensic genealogy work. She has stepped outside of strict casework and has built a public-facing educational outreach. In addition to her investigative contributions, her ongoing commitment to public education and training can be seen across the world., Fitzpatrick has taught and lectured internationally across North America and Europe. She has also traveled to countries such as Canada and Australasia, to teach about Forensic Genealogy. [71] [14]
Fitzpatrick has attended various seminars, which include:
Colleen Fitzpatrick's speaking topics can also be specific to certain cases she has personally worked on, which can be booked. [80]
Colleen Fitzpatrick has more than 30 published works in numerous different fields. This includes ranging from optics, physics, and to forensic science. Some works include the following: [81]
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Conference Papers:
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