Original Release Date: October 6, 2023
In episode one of our Case Studies season, Just Science sat down with Ian Oxton, Forensic Identification Specialist for the Calgary Police Service, to discuss a triple homicide case involving the longest lasting Amber Alert in Alberta, Canada’s history.
Operation Amber started as a race against the clock for a missing child and his grandparents, then quickly evolved into a massive search effort on a 40-acre property. During the investigation, a wide range of forensic techniques, including aerial photography, bloodstain pattern analysis, forensic odontology, and footwear analysis, were utilized to resolve the case. Listen along as Ian describes his role as the Primary Forensics Investigator on the case, the challenges of prosecuting a no-body homicide, and the many lessons learned from this groundbreaking case.
This episode is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (Award No. 15PNIJ-21-GK-02192-MUMU).
Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.
View or download the episode transcript here:
Transcript
Episode Citation
McKay, J. & Oxton, I. (2023, October 6). Just Science. Just Investigating a No-Body Homicide in Canada. [Audio podcast episode]. The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. https://forensiccoe.org/podcast-2023-case-studies-ep1/
Guest Biography
Ian Oxton is a Forensic Identification Specialist for the Calgary Police Service. Mr. Oxton has qualified as an expert witness in the disciplines of latent prints, footwear impression evidence, and the use of forensic light sources. He is an International Association for Identification certified latent print examiner, certified footwear examiner, and a member of the Footwear Certification Board. Mr. Oxton has completed the Laurentian University Bachelor of Forensic Identification Program and has over 23 years of experience with volunteer search and rescue operations in Canada. Mr. Oxton brought his search skills into Operation Amber to manage the processing of the large crime scene.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast episode are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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