Amanda Johnson 
Forensic science is a subject that fascinates many of us. Just look at all of the television programs that exist on the very subject. There are true crime shows such as the First 48 and Forensic Files. There are fictional shows like all of the CSIs and NCIS. We are all curious to see how the lies add up and how they figure out so much from clothing fibers, blood splatter patterns, or hair.
While it’s not an exact science, it is amazing what they can do to catch criminals much more often and with more certainty than before all of the new technologies existed.
As with any subject matter, however, there are cases that defy what we think we know. These stories defy the norms and test the limits of what forensic science can do. They had the experts scratching their heads. Check out these weird stories and see what you think.
1. Dr. John Schneeberger
Dr. Schneeberger was a highly regarded doctor in Kipling, Canada. In 1999, he was charged and convicted of sexually assaulting two women. One was his 13 year old stepdaughter and the other a 23 year old patient named Candace. He drugged each victim and assaulted them in his exam room.
When Candace went to the police with her allegation, they had the doctor give blood for two samples of DNA. The samples cleared him and the case was dropped. The authorities were perplexed, but their hands were tied. This is when Candace took action for herself. She hired a PI who was able to get a sample from the doctor’s lip balm, which was a match. The case was dismissed due to the DNA being collected with no warrant.
When he was accused of molesting his stepdaughter, the police decided to draw from his fingertips rather than his arm. They also took hair and saliva. After a positive match, this case went on to trial.
He confessed to saving blood from patients and inserting a tube under his own skin, next to his vein. This is where the samples were drawn from originally.
He was convicted this time, with an added charge- obstruction of justice. He got 6 years.
H/T – Source
2. Zoo Man
Zoo Man Huskey was a killer in Tennessee. On October 20, 1992, a decomposing body was found by a hunter, and identified as a missing local, Patty Anderson. Three other bodies were soon found in differing states of decomposition in the following week, one with missing parts.
All of the bodies were found near each other and authorities were quick to find the man who was responsible-Thomas Dee Huskey. He was called the Zoo Man because he took his victims to an area behind the Zoo to kill them. His trial would turn out to be amongst the most costly and weird trials in the state’s history.
During the investigation, Bill Bates, the forensic anthropologist, was able to determine the woman were all prostitutes. He determined they had been strangled to death, and that animals had desecrated them. Because of this, he was unable to obtain DNA from their bodies that wasn’t compromised.
Huskey confessed to the murders, however, he claims it was Kyle, his alter ego. Then he “became” a British man named Philip who claimed to be Thomas’ protector. The trial was deemed a mistrial when the jury couldn’t reach a verdict and the confession was inadmissible for the retrial. He is currently in prison for rape, serving a 44 year sentence. It’s unclear whether he will stand trial again concerning the zoo murders.
H/T – Source
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