Ed O’Carroll began his public service career as an Emergency Medical Technician and Assistant Chief with an ambulance squad in Suffolk County, New York. Relocating to Virginia as a young adult, Ed joined the Fairfax County Police Department on September 11, 1989. He retired as a major/bureau chief in 2023, concluding a distinguished career of nearly 34 years. Throughout his tenure, Major (ret.) O’Carroll held every rank from cadet to major. His final role was as the Bureau Chief of Major Crimes, Cyber, and Forensics, where he led investigations into criminal and violent crimes, managed victim services, search and rescue operations, the crime analyst team, human trafficking cases, missing persons, and the Language Services Support Unit. In retirement, Ed has had the honor of leading numerous training sessions for the National Criminal Justice Training Center. He remains dedicated to advancing the use of technology in law enforcement to tackle unresolved cases.

Eric Kovanda is currently a Lieutenant with the Carlsbad Police Department in San Diego County, CA. He began his law enforcement career in Connecticut in 1995. He has worked most of his career as a detective specializing in violent crime investigations. He spent several years assigned to the Cold Case Unit of the Connecticut Chief State Attorney’s Office and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. During his most recent investigative assignment with the Carlsbad Police Crimes of Violence Unit, he utilized Genetic Genealogy to solve the cold case murder of Jodine Serrin, which occurred in Carlsbad, CA on Valentine’s Day in 2007. The Serrin murder, solved in November of 2018, was the first case in San Diego County to be solved using Forensic Genetic Genealogy.