Barbara will be presenting at the RIGG Conference as a guest speaker. The conference runs July 28-30 and price of the ticket includes all conference sessions and meals.

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About the talk:

The Identification of Amore Wiggins using Investigative Genetic Genealogy

Opelika Jane Doe’s scalp and partial skeleton were found near a trailer park in Opelika, Alabama in January 2012. Her age was estimated to be 4-7 years. Her bioancestry was 79% Subsaharan, 6% Northeast African, about 11.6% North Atlantic and Baltic. Partially healed fractures in fifteen of the bones and evidence of malnutrition told a story of abuse and neglect. Her death was ruled a probable homicide. Using Investigative Genetic Genealogy, participants in Firebird Forensics Group identified Opelika Jane Doe as Amore Wiggins, daughter of Sherry Wiggins and Lamar Vickerstaff. Lamar has been arrested as a suspect in Amore’s murder; his wife Ruth Vickerstaff has been charged with failing to report a missing child. This presentation will detail the methods used to solve this challenging case, including extensive use of X chromosome matches, DNA Painter’s What Are the Odds, and creative use of Scapple diagrams.