Dr Michala Hulme is an academic historian and professional genealogist. She provides independent, evidence-based research and expert witness services to solicitors, chambers, and investigators across the UK and internationally.
Michala specialises in using historical and genealogical research to uncover evidence that can shed new light on legal and investigative cases. By drawing on sources such as archival records, historic newspapers, electoral rolls, and public documents, she helps legal teams and investigators verify facts, build timelines, and reveal overlooked connections.
Why Work With Michala? Her research can assist by:
- Identifying new lines of enquiry through archival and newspaper research, for example, locating records that show an individual’s movements, employment, or transactions at a key point in time.
- Confirming or disproving residence and identity, helping to establish who was living at a particular address or linked to a specific location.
- Tracing family relationships and associates, supporting inheritance cases, citizenship applications, or the reconstruction of life histories.
- Providing context and background for criminal defence work, historical abuse investigations, or cold-case reviews.
- Authenticating historical material and verifying the accuracy of documents used in legal or media settings.
- Acting as an independent expert or professional witness, presenting findings clearly and impartially for use in court or review proceedings.
This type of evidence has proven invaluable in real investigations; for instance, historic newspaper research has revealed unexpected leads, such as records showing a suspect sold a vehicle or changed employment shortly after a crime. Michala applies that same meticulous, evidence-based approach to every case, combining historical insight with modern research tools to uncover facts that others might miss.
Using Genetic Genealogy in Criminal Cases
Genetic genealogy is the process of using DNA evidence alongside traditional family-history research to identify biological relationships and trace ancestry. By analysing DNA matches through genealogical databases and combining them with historical records, it’s possible to build family trees that link unknown individuals to living relatives.
In criminal investigations, genetic genealogy can help identify unknown suspects or victims by tracing shared DNA through distant relatives. This approach, famously used in the United States to solve the Golden State Killer case (2018), has since become a powerful tool for law enforcement and forensic teams, responsible for resolving hundreds of previously unsolved crimes.
In the United Kingdom, the use of genetic genealogy in active investigations remains tightly controlled, but its potential is increasingly recognised. It has been used in cases involving unidentified human remains, disputed parentage, and cold-case research, always within strict ethical and data-protection frameworks.
Dr Michala Hulme provides expert support in interpreting genetic data for both legal and investigative purposes. She helps solicitors and investigators understand what DNA results can, and cannot, reveal, ensuring that genetic findings are correctly contextualised within documentary evidence. This work can assist in probate and inheritance cases, citizenship applications, cold-case reviews, and historical identifications, where confirming kinship or identity is crucial.
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Dr Michala Hulme (FHEA) 