Special Ep 176: Ancestry: Protecting Criminals, Denying Justice: Jennifer Bucholtz joins Jill!

Who wouldn't want to help identify unknown human remains and restore the names of the deceased? Who wouldn't want to solve a cold case? Would anyone act to prevent this?  Evidently, yes!  Effective November 2025, Ancestry.com's new policy prohibits anyone from using its databases for investigative purposes. While Ancestry has long banned law enforcement's use of genetic genealogy for identifying suspects, this policy expands the ban to all investigations. This change has had a devastating impact on cold-case and missing-persons investigations. Furthermore, this policy also applies to Newspapers.com and Find-A-Grave.com, both of which are critical resources for various types of investigations, not just those conducted by law enforcement. Jennifer Bucholtz and Jill discuss the devastating impact this policy change has had on solving cold cases and identifying unknown human remains.  Please listen and share your thoughts- [email protected]   Read Jennifer Bucholtz's article- IGG and the Crippling Effects of Ancestry's Legal Changes https://amuedge.com/author/jbucholtz/ Ancestry's Position on Law Enforcement and Your Privacy https://www.ancestry.com/c/ancestry-blog/ancestry-news/ancestry-position-law-enforcement-your-privacy   Listen to Jennifer Bucholtz's Break the Case! Buy Silent Silhouette by George Jared and Jennifer Bucholtz on Amazon.   Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code   murdershelf    and save 10% on your badge! Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies!     www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub  Sources, photographs, information, and links to Jennifer Bucholtz's article and Ancestry.com are found on Jill's Blog July 2026! https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/07/