Othram Inc.

So what I thought we would do today is go a little bit more into depth on some topics that interest us in particular, but haven't gotten as much coverage on the podcast.

So I know we discussed the first is going to be that genetic genealogy and process and particularly Othram's work on the case, Othram Labs.

And the second is the power and reach of the Chicago Mafia in the 1960s and why it's not for a fetch to infer that they might have had something to do with this case.

So I thought we would start with the science here.

So rather than attempting to directly associate evidentiary DNA with a specific individual that you have and that you have their DNA profile of.

Forensic genetic genealogy seeks to identify genetic relatives, often distant, who share inherited segments of DNA with the unknown individual allowing them to actually narrow down the pool to that particular person.

So it sounds like in Othram's version of the world, people would start with genetic genealogy and then go out and find potential matches with SDR testing.

And that does not seem to be the way that it historically has gone because this is a new technology.

The DNA extract from Jane Doe yielded low quantities of severely degraded DNA.

Nonetheless, Othram was able to develop a SNP profile.

TPS's internal cold case unit, which includes in-house genealogists, uploaded the profile in early 2023 to both Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch and learned that Jane Doe's indigenous ancestry connected her to Cree communities along James Bay and to Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba.

The top match in both Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch was a man who shared 304 centimorgans of DNA with Jane Doe.

Yes.

So then in 2023, Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Program took the case and they partnered with Othram.

This is a private lab in the Woodlands, Texas, which uses what it calls forensic grade genome sequencing to build a much more detailed profile, one that could be compared against genealogy databases.

And this is what we use all the time.

Yeah, so he's the genealogist.

We have essentially Ryan and Jeremy, who you guys who have been following us for a while know they are both genetic genealogists.

They do the family tree stuff, right? So the sequencing is done, and Othram's not the only lab to do it.

They take the DNA, they turn it into a mathematical equation, a number, and then that sequencing is made into a profile that can be entered into these genealogical databases where you can start to identify relatives of this person.

That was kind of their hope, I guess.

And it wasn't quite what we have now with Othram and investigative genealogical DNA searches.

This was basically, we have some DNA.

Let's put it in a system.

We've talked about this a lot in the past.

The defense is using a Texas lab called Othram that has already said these samples are likely too small to develop anything further from, lending credibility to SLED's reason for not conducting further testing on them.

Othram was basically like, we can certainly try to do so, but it would use up the sample, according to the state.

What that means is this.

If Authram is able to identify a patrilineal line from the male contributor to the DNA taken from Maggie's fingernails and phone, then there would be no more sample left for anyone to independently test that.

So that was a legit issue as far as legit can go with Team Murdoch.

This is all about creating reasonable doubt and thus far, in our opinions, this DNA is pretty much meaningless because of how next to zero much of it there was.

But we have no problem with the judge's decision, even though we can already predict that no matter what Othram finds or is able to do, it'll likely get twisted into some unsolved mystery by the defense.

Barber claims Sledge showed, Unknown male DNA under the left fingernail.

Orthram found it under the right.

And the phone swab shows a non-Murdock contributor.

The state disputes all of it.

So at this stage, it's difficult to say how important this evidence is, but the defense is arguing at least needs to be tested.

Now, they have enlisted the help of Othram, which is the genetic genealogy company which identified Bryan Kohberger as the killer of four students in Idaho.

So they are looking to use that to try to trace whether this is an alternate suspect or suspects in the killings.

The prosecution did not oppose the testing, but their issue was that this would use up the last remaining genetic material.