Heidi Sievers, Ph.D., CBPA, CCSI
Sievers Forensics

Heidi Sievers holds a PhD in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Forensics. She is an International Association for Identification (IAI) Certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst (CBPA) and Certified Crime Scene Analyst (CCSA).  She is Chair of the Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Board for the Florida Division of the IAI and a Voting Member of the Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Consensus Body for the American Academy of Forensic Science Standards Board. She is a former forensic investigator and human remains detection canine handler with Pasco Sheriff’s Office. Currently, she is an undergraduate and graduate professor in criminal justice, crime scene technology, and forensic science at various universities. She is the owner of Sievers Forensics which provides forensic and bloodstain pattern analysis consultation and training to various agencies worldwide, including law enforcement and the military. She has been featured as an expert correspondent for Fox News, Law and Crime, and other media outlets. Her training courses have been IAI-approved for initial and re-certification by the bloodstain and crime scene boards. She has also been acknowledged as an International Association for Bloodstain Pattern Analysts approved instructor.

Jennifer Stone Randolph
DNA Doe Project

Jennifer Stone Randolph holds a BA in Anthropology and an MSc in Epidemiology.  Formerly a research scientist at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, she began work as an Investigative Genetic Genealogist for DNA Doe Project in early 2018.  For over six years, this trailblazing non-profit organization has offered pro-bono genetic genealogy services and lab funding support for cold unidentified human remains cases.

DNA Doe Project has provided over 100 successful leads to date, has over 125 more cases in process, and has also contributed to agency successes in a consultant role.  Jennifer now holds the position of Senior Director of Case Management and Operations while also serving in the organization's leadership. Jennifer regularly collaborates with law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and coroners to determine the best path for their UHR cases from lab to resolution.

Analyst Frank Mazzola
Mississippi Cyber Initiative

Frank Mazzola is a digital forensics analyst with 18 years of law enforcement experience. An experienced detective, crime scene investigator, digital forensics investigator, and supervisor. He manages the digital forensics lab for MCI. The lab is sponsored by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. The lab deals with the backlog of electronic devices submitted to the Mississippi Crime Lab. It also provides local and federal law enforcement agencies with access to high-end digital forensics tools free of charge. He is a member of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Cyber Fraud Task Force.

The Mississippi Cyber Initiative brings together resources from across Mississippi to solve pressing cyber issues at the state and federal levels. MCI is led by Mississippi State University, with implementing partners including Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and the University of Southern Mississippi.

MCI is located in Biloxi, with initial capabilities that will support Keesler AFB and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation currently being established on MGCCC's Harrison County Campus. Planning is underway for the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center, which will serve as a headquarters for MCI activity and spur economic activity in a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to Keesler AFB.

MCI supports U.S. Air Force cyber training taking place at Keesler AFB and is helping to prepare the next generation of Mississippi's workforce in a field that will be vital to the state's economy in the decades to come.

Lori Massey
Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers

Lori Massey is the CEO of Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers and a member of the Mississippi Crime Stoppers Advisory Board. On a national level, Lori serves as Secretary for CSUSA, and in the past, she has held the position of Regional Director for Regions 5 (MS, AL & LA) and 6 (KY, TN, AR). In 2020, she was honored with the Crime Stoppers USA Chairman’s Award.

As a frequent speaker at community events and conferences, she is dedicated to educating people on the operations of Crime Stoppers. She played a crucial role in initiating the University Cold Case Project on the Coast and the #9PMRoutine. She considers securing the state’s first Community and Crime Fighting kiosks, along with implementing the Cold Case Playing Cards for inmates, as her most significant accomplishments to date. As a trainer at the Harrison County Law Enforcement Training Academy, she addresses cadets regarding the mission of Crime Stoppers.

Lori serves on the boards of the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, Tunnels to Towers Biloxi, and Reunite Mississippi. A proud seventh-generation Jackson County resident, she is married and has three children.

Dr. Anastasia Holobinko
State Forensic Anthropologist for the Mississippi Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Since joining the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office in 2016, Dr. Anastasia Holobinko, State Forensic Anthropologist, has been involved with multiple operational areas under the purview of the State Medical Examiner. In addition to overseeing all technical and administrative aspects of the Forensic Anthropology Division and performing daily casework, Dr. Holobinko directs the division’s Human Identification Program and an interagency cold case task force, both of which are dedicated to the resolution of unidentified and missing persons cases statewide. She has lectured at universities in the United States and Canada, presented at numerous scientific conferences and law enforcement training events, and is published in several journals. Dr. Holobinko holds a Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology and a Master of Science in Zoology.

Agent Christa Groom
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation

Msgt. Christa Groom is a 20-year Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer with 17 of those years Investigating Felony Crimes, including Homicides and Crimes Against Children.  She is currently assigned to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation Cold Case Unit, Southern Region, as a Special Agent. She works closely with the Mississippi Medical Examiners Office and Dr. Anastasia Holobinko on the Interagency Cold Case Task Force in assisting in the identification of unidentified human remains. As a part of this collaboration, in 2022, she was successful in recovering over a dozen sets of Unidentified Human Remains unlawfully donated to an out-of-state university for teaching specimens.

Lieutenant Darren Versiga
Pascagoula Police Department

Darren Versiga is a 30-year Law Enforcement veteran currently serving the Pascagoula Police Department as a shift Lieutenant who spends most of his time in Criminal Investigations.  Lieutenant Versiga has extensive experience in cold case investigations.  He has previously served on the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and spent four years as an Investigator for the 19^th Judicial District Attorney's Office.  He is married to Jessica Faulkner Versiga and has five children.

Hunter Smith
The University of Southern Mississippi

Hunter Smith, a resident of Woodstock, Georgia, moved to Hattiesburg where he is currently a senior Forensic Anthropology student at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a part of the Honors College where he is developing his thesis “Adults Matter Too: An Examination of State Adult Missing Persons Policies and Procedures to Implement a Best Practices Handbook.”

During his professional development, Hunter has completed an internship with the Atlanta Police Department where he worked with their Photography Lab as well as with their Homicide Unit. He is currently interning with Dr. Anastasia Holobinko at the Mississippi Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Ryan Berry
Assistant District Attorney - Twentieth Circuit Court District of Mississippi

Ryan was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2006.  He has been a prosecutor for the past 16 years.  He currently prosecutes cases in the Twentieth Circuit Court District of Mississippi which encompasses Rankin and Madison Counties. Ryan is the former Chair of the Prosecutor’s Section of the Mississippi Bar Association.  He has also been on the board of directors for the Mississippi Prosecutors Association at various times. He has served as an instructor at various law enforcement training classes including the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy.  Ryan has tried various types of cases ranging from Grand Larceny to Murder.

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