HUNTINGTON -- Analysts at a state-of-the-art crime laboratory, which focuses on hair and bones, are conducting crucial tests in the unsolved killing of Leah Hickman.

Analysts at the mitochondrial DNA laboratory in Phoenix are examining what little evidence was left behind in her Christmastime disappearance and death. Hickman was a 21-year-old student at Marshall University.

FBI Special Agent Joseph Ciccarelli said analysts may finish the MtDNA testing in a month, but Arizona State Police Lt. James W. Warriner could not provide an estimate.

"This type of DNA testing is a very complicated process and takes quite a bit of time to complete," Warriner said.

Hickman was strangled Dec. 14 and police found her body about a week later hidden in a crawl space underneath her apartment building at 403 8th Ave.

Detectives have a working theory about who may have killed Hickman, but they lack evidence needed to press criminal charges. They believe it was an acquaintance with knowledge as to the layout of her apartment.

Detectives will not release specific details of the case, but Ciccarelli confirmed MtDNA tests are under way. He would not describe the type of evidence being tested.

Publications from the Arizona Department of Public Safety provide general information about MtDNA analysis. Those tests examine hairs, bones and teeth. The publications state the human hair shaft contains only MtDNA, so therefore it's the only analysis technique to provide evidence about a hair's origin.

The publications described MtDNA testing as the "analysis of last resort used when there is no cellular material available."

Ciccarelli handles communications between the FBI and Arizona. He said DNA testing has a long record of producing numerous convictions and exonerating the wrongly convicted. He referred to the MtDNA analysis as a critical piece of evidence in Hickman's case, but said many people have been convicted without such evidence.

"We're hopeful it will come back and lead us to the offender," he said. "Whether or not that test comes back, doesn't necessarily mean we're not going to get an arrest and conviction. I think it's a piece of evidence. I think it's a critical piece, but I don't think we're out of the water in any stretch of the imagination if we don't have that."

Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook said his department received few tips in the case, and the killer left behind little DNA or trace evidence. Arizona officials say that type of case fits nicely into their facility's mission.

In many instances, the hair shaft fragments analyzed are "very degraded" and measure a few millimeters long, according to the Arizona publications.

The small amount of DNA and trace evidence left behind in Hickman's case surprised Holbrook and others in the department, but he said evidence can be sparse when the victim's body is moved from its point of death.

Ciccarelli said investigators are getting used to finding less and less evidence at homicide scenes.

"I think people watch 'CSI' and think, 'Well, geez there's always this huge amount (of evidence) and blood everywhere,'" he said. "That's not always the case."

The small amount of evidence makes perfecting each test crucially important. Holbrook and Arizona officials describe the testing as very costly and time consuming.

Holbrook said local police cannot speed up the scientific process, and he believes patience is critically important. He said each sample must be guarded and carefully handled to ensure plenty of specimens exist for the most precise testing.

"Once you use that sample up, ... you may only have one shot," Holbrook said. "They are very careful on how and when they do the testing to make sure they get the biggest bang for their buck."

The police chief said Hickman's case has been pushed to the front of the line in every instance. It was a top priority at the West Virginia crime lab and sent to Arizona for the purpose of expediting further tests.

The FBI selected Arizona in 2003 as one of four states to house the nation's regional MtDNA units. In 2005, it was the first unit to come online.

Ciccarelli said FBI officials identified the Arizona facility as its quickest route for Hickman's case to receive attention.

The original, FBI-Arizona partnership called for 75 percent of cases to come from out of state, according to publications from the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

The MtDNA unit has examined minute hair fragments from detonated improvised explosive devices recovered in Iraq, the publication states. In those cases the analysis may identify a suicide bomber, the bomb maker or other intelligence.

Mexican authorities use the technology to identify immigrants who illegally cross into the United States. Many of them die in Arizona deserts. Scientists can compare the person's bones to a maternal relative to determine a positive match, the publication said.

Photo courtesy of Ron Hickman

Leah Hickman, who was found dead in her Huntington apartment in December, is shown with her father, Ron, in this family photo. Ron Hickman says he doesnÕt understand how some one could hurt his daughter. ÒShe was just a wonderful young lady,Ó he said.

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