BGSU forensic science graduate plays key role in high-profile case

Karin Jacobsen ’19, ’21, a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, helped police solve a murder case that drew national attention

A Bowling Green State University alumna working as a forensic scientist recently took the stand to provide expert testimony after helping authorities solve a murder case that garnered national media coverage.

Karin Jacobsen ’19, ’21, a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, played a starring role in the first-degree murder trial of Brian Walshe by analyzing decisive forensic evidence that implored the defendant to change his plea to guilty on two counts and gave the jury a trove of undisputable facts that helped deliver a guilty verdict on the main charge.

The case, which drew national media coverage from all four major TV networks, CNN, NPR and even became the subject of a podcast, swung on the quality of its evidence, which used DNA, video surveillance footage and even digital forensics to uncover key details in the case.

For Jacobsen, the occasional courtroom spotlight is just a continued reminder that her work is an important and rewarding way that she can use her scientific credentials for good.

“I say it all the time when I’m explaining my job: it’s the way that I’m able to serve my community,” Jacobsen said. “I really connect with it because it’s a very unique form of public service that I’m able to offer, and it’s really special that I’m trusted to do this job.”

A native of Cincinnati who took an interest in forensic science as an adolescent, Jacobsen found exactly what she was looking for at BGSU, which has become a national leader in the field.

BGSU is home to an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) crime lab and criminal investigation facility as well as the Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science, an exclusive partnership, both of which provide students with world-class lab experience and training during their time at the University.

But for Jacobsen, the program’s strength was its people. On a campus visit, she met former BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey, who made an introduction to Jon E. Sprague, R.Ph., Ph.D, then the Center for Future of Forensic Science’s director.

After communicating with Sprague, Jacobsen said her decision was made.

“She gave me Jon Sprague’s contact information, so I developed a personal connection at BGSU before I had even formally applied,” she said. “He really sold me on all the program was, that it had a crime lab on campus and access to all of these resources. It was the personal connection that made the difference.”

Students have the option of completing a forensic science internship for course credit, which Jacobsen said made a major difference for her. During her time at BGSU, she worked in the toxicology unit of the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, providing additional hands-on experience that allowed her to apply lab skills gained at BGSU in a professional setting and gave her an up-close look of the day-to-day life inside her field.

Combined with her internship experience, Jacobsen said that learning with and from professionals at BGSU like associate teaching professor Crystal Oechsle, Ph.D., reinforced that she was on the right career path.

“I had a great relationship with my advisor, Dr. Crystal Oechsle,” she said. “I learned so much from her and how she navigated the field. Working with her confirmed that this was the career for me.”

As a working forensic scientist, Jacobsen said she’s grateful to apply her skills to an important area of the field.

Though most of a forensic scientist’s work takes place out of the public eye, Jacobsen said the rare opportunity to share findings in a highly visible setting reinforces that the community is counting on her.

“My community places a lot of faith in me to do this job correctly and to do it well, so I’m really grateful to serve in the way that I do,” she said. “Knowing that I’m helping people every day is really powerful.”