National Forensic Science Week In Phoenix: Solving Crime With Science

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

September 26, 2020

PolicePolice

We are wrapping up National Forensic Science Week with a real life example of how crime lab scientists help solve crime. "I always think the answer to this case could be right here in this tiny little volume of liquid," Kelley Merwin said.Merwin is an Assistant Quality Manager at the Phoenix Police Department Crime Lab. The work she and her colleagues do is essential to the criminal justice system. "It's the combination of science and law enforcement, and using science as a tool to find answers for law enforcement," Merwin explained.

The Phoenix Police Crime Lab offers services in eight forensic science disciplines. Merwin worked DNA analysis for the past 18 years. Hundreds of DNA samples have passed over her desk for processing. But, she said, every employee has that one case that sticks with them for their whole career. The case of Shannon Aumock is hers.

"This is actually one of the police department's forensic artists sketches, and I've had this at my desk since I was first assigned to the case," Merwin said as she looked at a photo sketch. "This is a rendering of what they believed she would look like."

In 1992, the body of a teenager was found in the desert on the north side of the Central Arizona Project Canal. Merwin's job was to process a piece of tissue from the body to help identify the teen. "I evaluate the DNA results that are obtained from the testing process," Merwin said. "I wrote a report. We enter certain profiles that are eligible into the database to be searched. and that was one of the most important parts of this case was to identify her because they have no idea who this is." That's typically the end of Merwin's work on a case. But she stayed involved with this one. Initially there were no matches to the DNA she analyzed but in 2011, with the help of a new case agent, they positively linked the body to a runaway juvenile: sixteen-year-old Shannon Aumock. "No one was missing her, and that's extremely hard to grasp as a parent," Merwin said. "No one was missing her and to this day, there are no, to my knowledge, there are no leads."

Merwin said they have tested all the evidence they can. The case is considered cold. But Merwin said forensic science continues to make advancements, and as science grows, so too does the possibility that it can help solve this and other crimes.

"I do have some hope that this case could be solved with some of those advancements," Merwin said. "And I do really hope it is solved some day. I would love for them to be able to call this case closed and finally have an answer of who did this to her."

If you have any information regarding this case, contact Silent Witness at 480-Witness, or leave an anonymous tip on the Silent Witness website. You will remain anonymous and could earn a cash reward.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.