Woodlands-based Othram Labs cracks cold cases with groundbreaking forensic technique
The Woodlands, Tx - In a breakthrough for cold case investigations, Othram Labs, a cutting-edge forensic laboratory based in The Woodlands, provides new hope for many who believed justice might never be served.
"There are a few things we can do in life where you can see this much impact this quickly, and I have a front-row seat, and I wouldn’t change it for the world," Dr. Kristen Mittleman, Chief Development Officer of Othram Labs said.
Founded by Mittleman and her husband David, Othram Labs has developed a pioneering forensic technology that goes beyond standard methods. Their advanced system, known as Forensic Grade Genome Sequencing, allows them to solve up to five cold cases a day, highlighting traditional forensic approaches' limitations.
"Forensic evidence is always degraded, contaminated, and consists of trace amounts—a mixture of victim and perpetrator, sometimes with multiple contributors," Mittleman explained. Traditional databases like CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) often fall short when dealing with such complex evidence.
Othram Labs’ approach involves creating a comprehensive database with hundreds of thousands of genetic markers, which is then analyzed to identify distant relatives. "It’s like a little sonar," Mittleman said, referring to their ability to identify distant relatives such as seventh or fifth cousins. This method has proven effective in cases where CODIS might not yield results.
Currently, there are about 250,000 unsolved cases across the United States, with only half eventually being resolved. Additionally, 50,000 to 75,000 unidentified victims remain without identification due to limitations in traditional databases like CODIS.
In one notable case, Othram Labs helped solve the mystery of a newborn baby girl found in a ditch in Johnson County in 2001, with her umbilical cord still attached. "This DNA would not have been in CODIS, because it was an infant," Mittleman noted. The DNA was eventually matched to the child’s biological mother, Shelby Stotts, who was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.
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Another high-profile case solved by Othram involved Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five found murdered on a Maryland trail. Othram’s technology led to the identification and arrest of Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented migrant from El Salvador linked to the crime. Martinez-Hernandez’s DNA was also found in a 2023 home invasion and sexual assault in Los Angeles.
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Othram's robust research has solved over a dozen cases in Texas and the Houston area alone, and their success extends beyond the United States.
The lab’s technology has been recognized as admissible in court, reflecting its reliability and effectiveness in the field of forensic science.
"Our dream and our hope is that there are thousands of Othrams and that every state lab has what it takes to do this type of testing, so every perpetrator is caught the first time they commit a crime, and there are no unidentified victims left anymore," Mittleman said.
To learn more about the company and how you can help to support their work, visit their website here.