The Bode team sat down with Dr. Angela Williamson, Bode’s newest addition on the leadership team as the Vice President of Cold Case Solutions and Special Initiatives. Angela makes a return to Bode after over a decade where she used to be the Director of Forensic Casework in 2007-2011. Following her first departure from the company, she went to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) as the Forensics and Unknown Victim Identification Project Manager and then to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as the Supervisor of the Forensics Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ViCAP (Violent Crime Apprehension Program) Liaison. At the DOJ, she created and oversaw the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) as well as overseeing multiple forensic programs. In 2018 and 2020, Angela received the DOJ Assistant Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to the mission and goals of the Office of Justice Programs. In 2019, Angela received the International Homicide Investigators Association Award for Excellence for her role in the investigation of serial killer Samuel Little. Angela’s career is nothing short of remarkable and the Bode team is excited to have her on board.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
After working with NCMEC and the DOJ, why did you decide to come back to Bode?
There were certain goals that I really wanted to achieve with the SAKI program, and I reached those goals. Then I’d hit 10 years, and I was getting a little burnt out. It’s really hard to get change enacted in the federal government. Then, you have constant changes in administration—which I’ve been through three. One day I was like, “I think I’m ready to do something else, I think I’m ready to return to the private sector where you can do things a little bit more quickly, have a bit more freedom.” The other thing is, I had been in charge of SAKI for 10 years and I’m really happy with it, but I’m biased, right? So, I was like, where could this program go with different leadership and different perspectives? So, I thought it would be good for the program as well as myself. It was time for a change.
What’s your favorite part about working in forensics?
Oh, answers. Giving answers to either the survivors or the victims’ families. Hands down. That’s what it’s all about. You won’t always get justice, especially with cold cases, but it’s the people dealing with the unknown and you see the impact that has. You see it with the survivors, especially rape survivors who think the individual is still out there and is not only going to maybe reoffend and hurt them but hurt others. Then when you have the families left behind from homicide victims, you can’t change it, you can’t bring their loved one back. A lot of them do get some kind of satisfaction out of facing people in court, but often when they just know they’re dead, they can just move on a little bit. So yeah, that’s really just it just helping give answers. Using science to help investigators with their cases.
On the flip side, what is the most challenging thing about working in forensics?
Missed opportunities when you see cases that could have been solved if that agency had the knowledge to apply a certain forensic technique or most importantly, the money. The difference between a case getting solved can be as little as $3000 and often agencies just don’t have that. And so that was one of the great things about being at DOJ was [that] I was the one in charge of the funding that helped solve all these cases. Just the SAKI program alone when I left was up to 263,000 kits that had been cataloged. We called it an inventory and a lot of those kits dated back to the 1970s to this year. So, you think about 5 decades of victims who are finally going to have some kind of answer, maybe some sense of justice. But yeah, the frustrating thing is that a quarter of a million people have been waiting because there was no money or resources. And those offenders were reoffending because most people don’t just do one and done. So yeah, the frustration is seeing the lack of knowledge [in agencies], which obviously is one of my goals at Bode to help increase that. And just a lack of resources, knowing that a case may or may not get solved depending on how much funding that agency has. That’s not fair to the victims.
Is there anything we can do to combat this issue?
Yeah. And I think especially in my job, having worked in the federal grant side of it is really educating law enforcement and encouraging them to apply for it. There is a lot of free money available every year through multiple programs, not just SAKI, but other programs as well. It’s not always easy to apply. And, there’s lots of strings attached when you get the money, but it is there. And there’s definitely more we can be doing to promote those programs.
Looking into the future, what are your career goals and aspirations?
Can I say sleep? No, my passion has been cold cases for a long time. I really would like to change the mindset that cold cases aren’t as important as current cases because what you have to realize is the people who committed the cold cases are frequently the ones committing the current cases. So ,there’s that recidivism, which is really important to understand. And I can’t speak enough about the impact on the survivors and the families, like it’s a humanitarian thing to be like what happened to you was important and it does matter. You’ll see a lot of times with the with the FIGG cases, like a lot of these offenders are deceased. OK, So what? That’s still an answer. That case is closed. You see all the publications coming out of the SAKI program and I started a research project with the FBI’s BAU before I left, which is ongoing. It shows that these offenders are not just rapists, which is heinous enough, but crossover offender. They’re committing homicides, they’re doing robberies, they’re committing drug felonies. I mean, they’re just doing anything you can think of. So really changing that mindset that criminals don’t stay in one lane. Criminals typically don’t stop at just one crime, we need to stop segmenting how crimes are worked. And you would see that a lot with a special victims unit literally sitting next to a homicide unit and they don’t talk to each other. So, I think communicating that the DNA is telling a very different story is very important. And that’s something that as forensic scientists, we need to be doing. Not bashing people over the head, but really reinforcing that concept. And you see it. You see it with the rape kits that they’re hitting. You look at the SAKI stats online, 78% of the CODIS hits from the backlog rape kits are hitting to violent serial offenders who don’t have a sexual assault conviction. So think about that. Like the majority of these kits are hitting to other violent felonies. Without DNA, you wouldn’t know that. So, there’s a lot that that DNA can inform law enforcement. It’s a partnership.
What’s a piece of advice would you give to someone going into this career field?
Yeah, if I could tell my younger self, I mean, you have to know that it’s for you. And if it’s for you, there will be long hours. There will be tears. There will be frustration. It is the most rewarding thing you will do if you know this is your path, don’t be in a rush to try and advance yourself, it’s so important that you learn the basics. Get your experience in the lab. If you see yourself becoming more like me, more in a consultant role, make sure you really get that good foundation. Make sure you always stay relevant and up to speed on things. Forensic technology changes everyday. There’s always something new, don’t become obsolete. So really be cognizant that you’re entering a field that is constantly evolving and you have to evolve as well.
Dr. Angela Williamson’s return to Bode brings a wealth of experience, passion, and determination to the company’s mission of solving cold cases and supporting victims. Her insights into the field of forensic science reveal both the complexities and rewards of pursuing justice for those impacted by violent crimes. With a focus on breaking down barriers within law enforcement, advocating for the importance of cold cases, and leveraging new forensic technologies, Angela embodies a commitment to driving change. Her journey and dedication remind us of the profound impact that forensics can have—not only in bringing answers but also in preventing future crimes. As Angela steps into this new role, her expertise and vision promise to help reshape the field, making a lasting difference in the lives of victims, families, and communities.