She was loved. The case was re-investigated by Yolanda McClary, a genealogy research and crime scene investigator, in 2018, and four years of searching finally led to Kelly's true identity being uncovered. The results came back to match a man named Marcus Love. The defendant bound Stacy Falcon-Dewey, beat her, orally raped her and likely shot her child to death in front of her before killing her. On May 11, 2022, the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found in South Carolina. In announcing his identity, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Joseph had "experienced horrors that no one, no one should ever be subjected to. Like how you go from what little information you have to building a case like that was truly impressive, he said. Louise was eventually arrested for the double homicide in 2022.[3]. On July 10, 1991, a young woman was murdered at the Whitehall Motel in El Dorado, AK, by her ex-boyfriend and alleged pimp, James McAlphin. Former Sen. Patrick Leahy,who was county prosecutor at the time of the murder, said he saw many gruesome crimes during his time as prosecutor but Rita Curran's family stayed in this thoughts for years after. As the months and years pass by, these families live in a . The Serial podcast, HBO series, and other court hearings and investigations over the years had brought up, among other issues, questions about Syed's lawyer, who was disbarred in 2001, the lack of DNA evidence pointing to Syed at the murder scene, and the reliability of a witness. It may take years or even decades, but we continually seek justice for victims and their families.". This is why, in order to be a successful homicide detective, one must be possessed of an absolutely superhuman, ridiculously dogged level of determination. An undated image of Sharon Gallegos. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. Two other possible suspects, who remain unnamed, were not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense, Mosby said. Reyes said shes still bothered by the image the media painted of her mother, who was unemployed at the time of her death. To put the numbers in perspective, it is estimated that there have only been 117 billion people who have ever inhabited earth, the police statement said. A warrant was issued to obtain Branchs DNA upon his autopsy; the DNA obtained from Branchs remains was confirmed to be a match to the DNA on Baggens body.[6]. Most recently, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to another 25 years to life in prison for the rape and violent murder of Diane Cusick. As with many such cases, the DNA evidence taken from Smith's body was insufficient to pin the crime on Drummond in the '80s, and although there was significant circumstantial evidence of his involvement, he walked free for nearly four decades. Follow reporterLilly St. Angelo onTwitter: @lilly_st_ang. The bodies of Falcon-Dewey and her son were discovered on October 28, 1994, after a Seattle Times newspaper delivery person called 911 and reported seeing the mothers body, according to a probable cause document. In December 1996, police stumbled upon a mystery fit for a detective novel. Both were signed "Jane Doe," and despite their best efforts, police were unable to identify the woman who would become known as the "Christmas tree lady" (via DC News Now). Baldwin County cold case solved after 22 years. until you are in jail. But in a Tuesday news conference, the Burlington Police Department announced that Curran's case was solved and the man responsible for the 24-year-old's murder, William DeRoos, died years ago. Schubert, only 18 at the time, had assisted other police departments on several cold cases. March 17, 2022. In 1975, long before DNA evidence would become a factor in criminal justice, 19-year-old Lindy Sue Biechler was brutally stabbed to death inside her home. Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. Did you encounter any technical issues? On March 18, 1964, Chiverella left her house to walk to school. ", PHILADELPHIA 'BOY IN THE BOX' IDENTIFIED 65 YEARS AFTER BODY FOUND BEATEN, WRAPPED IN BLANKET. In May 2022, genome sequencing technology became available to the Fairfax police department, enabling investigators to reach out to potential family members. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. DNA testing of Curran's housecoat at the lab in Florida further confirmed that DeRoos had committed the crime. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madgers clothing was identified as matching the DNA of one Stephen Simcak. The Fort Worth Police Department said it plans to investigate the disappearance, but the statute of limitations on pursuing criminal charges in the kidnapping has passed. The serial murderer known as the "Torso Killer" admitted to killing a 23-year-old woman outside a Long Island shopping mall in 1968 and four other women decades ago. Anna Kane. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. She was murdered around midnight on July 19 and was found strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted. Genetic genealogy uses an unknown DNA sample and compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial, but not exact, matches. Nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in March 1964 when she was kidnapped. Beyer said he was "blown away" when he heard how his mother's case had. But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. Chahorski was likewise identified through the DNA of living relatives, finally putting a lid on a case that had stumped investigators for 34 years. Did you encounter any technical issues? There are cold cases, and then there is the murder of James Tappen Hall, a Montgomery County (Maryland) Sheriff's deputy who was moonlighting as a security guard at a local country club when he was shot in the club's parking lot in October 1971. Further testing was done in 2001, but the profile was insufficient to place into a federal database of DNA from unsolved crimes or CODIS, police said. Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. Syed was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 but has maintained his innocence all along. In this case, investigators were looking for relatives whose DNA matched those of the unidentified suspect in Dahns murder. Finally, in 2022, Pennsylvania State Police used genetic genealogy testing to identify the killer a local man named Scott Grim law enforcement officers said at a news conference last week. No one knew what had become of her. DNA technology was credited with cracking the case. This is the fifth time the Sheriffs Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case. Unfortunately for criminals and murderers, this means its much easier to get caught, especially for those who committed crimes before DNA testing. Elkhart County, Indiana, is where, in May 2002, Robert Reed was found robbed and murdered inside his residence. Richard Cottingham, nicknamed the "Torso Killer" or "Times Square killer," allegedly admitted in December to killing five women on Long Island, New York, in the late 60s, early 70s. Case Breakers calls for police to conduct a DNA test to verify their findings; Fox News' Eric Shawn has the details. The night of July 19, the couple had a fight and William DeRoos went for a walk to get some air. The most stubborn cold case in the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was finally cracked in 2022 thanks to an ingenious piece of investigative work. While Rice told police the two were best friends, others in their circle reported that the two weren't getting along, and that Knutson was afraid of Rice. At a cemetery in Annandale, Virginia (pictured), the body of a middle-aged woman was found. This entry is one of the coldest cases to be solved in the U.S. in recent years. Now that they have identified Grims DNA, police will review other open cold cases to see if he was involved, Womer said. Wise died in a car crash in 1999, but that fact did nothing to diminish the power of the statement given by the FBI's Atlanta office in the wake of the resolution of the case. His remains were identified 47 years later. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images. The letter writer also left his DNA when he licked the envelope. Over 30 years after her murder, researchers and investigators identified El Dorado Jane Doe in May 2022. appreciated. She was eventually dubbed the El Dorado Jane Doe.. Tamika Reyes was only nine years old when her mother, 26-year-old Anna Kane, was found strangled and left in the woods outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1988. In the 36 years since, the case was passed to many detectives, all to no avail. Published A Warner Bros. Many questions still remain about the case, but Holly has reportedly been in contact with her newfound family members. If a possible match is found, genealogists can build out family trees to help police find potential suspects. A college student disappeared in 1976. Las Vegas police Lt. Ray Spencer announced Monday that advanced DNA testing helped investigators solve the cold case homicide of 16-year-old Kim Bryant. CNNs Jessica Prater contributed to this report. The case was solved through modern DNA and genealogy technology and the careful preservation of evidence from the crime scene in 1971. To her friends, the woman was known as Mercedes, but police found she was carrying an ID with the name Cheryl Ann Wick. She had also previously been arrested for prostitution and writing bad checks under this name. According to local news station WFAA, federal kidnapping charges, which have no statute of limitations, could still be filed, but only if certain criteria are met, such as the kidnapper crossing state lines or using mail to conduct the kidnapping. Police had gained new information about a party back in 2008 or 2009, where Rice allegedly admitted to the murder while intoxicated. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. She was spending the summer working as a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at the University of Vermont. Dahns family, including Mark Beyer, her then 2-year-old son who has no recollection of the incident, spent 34 years wondering who murdered her and why, but thanks to investigative genetic genealogy, investigators were able to track down the suspect, Warren Robertson, a man who also lived in the same apartment complex as Dahn in 1988, according to investigators. Forte would have been 22 at the time of the crime. Using DNA from living relatives, the little girl was finally identified as Sharon Lee Gallegos, a 4-year-old who was abducted from her grandmother's home in Alamagordo, New Mexico 500 miles from where her body had been discovered in July 1960. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Las Vegas police use DNA testing and genealogical research to solve 42-year-old homicide of teen girl, Its unfortunate my nephew never had the chance to know his mom, Dahn-Minter said during a police news conference. Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day. Melissa's sister, Sharon Highsmith, wrote on Facebook: Our finding Melissa was purely because of DNA, not because of any police/FBI involvement, podcast involvement, or even our familys own private investigations or speculations. The woman took her fromher home in Fort Worth, Texas, in August 1971. In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. or redistributed. Authorities believe that Drexel's remains were buried on April 26, 2009, just one day after she was abducted. Beyer was adopted by a family friend and said he saw his grandparents and biological family as often as he could. Our family now knows the identity of her murderer, said Radtke. Discovery Company. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. Nearly 58 years ago, Marise Chiverella was murdered and her body left in a hole in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This, combined with re-interviewing witnesses and reviewing statements, led investigators to finally gather enough evidence for an arrest. Due to decomposition, it was tough to determine the girl's age, let alone her identity; at the time, authorities believed her to be about 7 years old. In late March 1983, the body of Joette Smith was found floating in the San Lorenzo River. On Tuesday,. In March 2022, a Chattahoochee County Grand Jury made the decision to indict 64-year-old Marcellus McCluster for the murder of then-20-year-old Rene Dawn Blackmore of Arizona. A local newspaper, the Reading Eagle, ran a front-page story seeking information on Kanes death. New DNA evidence shows someone else did it. Diane Lynn Dahn died on May 2, 1988. After her death, Reyes aunt took her in and raised her while her two brothers moved in with their father. While it's undetermined who killed Dean and Tina, and whether it was their killer(s) who gave Holly up for adoption, family members have their suspicions. It did. He was identified as a suspect five years after Smith was found, but with no physical evidence to tie him to the murder, he was never arrested. Key pieces of evidence had been kept in storage, however, and in 2014 several items including a LARK cigarette butt found on the floor next to Curran after the murder were sent to a forensic lab in New York City for DNA testing. A technician prepares a test solution for processing DNA samples at a Genesis Healthcare Co. laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. 8:36 AM EDT, Fri August 26, 2022. She met with a group of Jesus People to retrieve the car and ask about her son, but says they told her he'd joined their group and was cutting off ties. Police were hoping this was the break in the case they needed, but the DNA didnt return any matches. You see, homicide cases as you likely realize from the six thousand true-crime documentaries which set you on this career path in the first place can often take a very long time to resolve. Thats where genetic genealogy came in. 2023 Cable News Network. Market data provided by Factset. However, this was the '80s, and it would take a while for the science of genetic genealogy to help the cops pin down their suspect. When they did, the now-elderly killer presumably weary from looking over his shoulder for 45 years broke down and confessed to the crime. Knutson had been stabbed to death with a pocket knife, which was found at the crime scene. The Chiverella cold case is the latest decades-old investigation solved with the help of genetic genealogy. She died of a gunshot wound to the head. She was found two days later, sexually assaulted and strangled. Missing Melissa Highsmith reunited with family. The murder caused ripples of fear in a time when many Burlingtonresidents left front doors unlocked, and the killer remained a mystery for decades, despite the police looking into hundreds of tips. The search for Melissa Highsmith had a rare happy ending. Unfortunately, all the evidence against him was circumstantial, and without enough to connect Louise to the murder, the case went cold. Another victim of a brutal murder who went unidentified for decades, Lina Reyes Geddes was found near a spring in the vicinity of Lake Powell, Utah, in 1998, shot, bound, and wrapped in a sleeping bag. Rita Curran was a 24-year-old second grade teacher when she was violently murdered in her Burlington apartment in July 1971. After being interviewed by troopers in his Arkansas home in early August 2020, Branch died by suicide. However, in 2020, Bedford Police Sgt. Discovery Company. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. The DNA profile matched Eric Drummond. Unfortunately, Simcak will never be tried for the death of Madger, as he died in 2018.[9]. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). Here is a look at some of the top cold cases solved in 2022. The case of the young woman known as "Princess Doe" is just a bit unusual in that the man responsible for the crime was identified by police long before the victim was. A Warner Bros. It was obtained legally through a search warrant, Trate said. We share these cases to highlight their resolution and bring closure to the victims and the community . In 2009, Dawn and Chad Drexel lived every parent's worst nightmare. In September 2022, Drummond died by suicide as the police were closing in a life that almost certainly would have been lived out in the slammer otherwise. Arizona: Woman found dead in 1971 identified 52 years later after community fundraiser for DNA testing. The case was revived in 2021 when Sgt. BURLINGTON, Vt.After 52 years, a 1971 Vermont murder has been solved using decades-old DNA evidence. DEC 21, 2022; DNA LEADS TO IDENTITY OF COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM DNA LEADS TO IDENTITY OF COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM. Cold case team says it's ID'd Zodiac Killer. "One of our sisters called her daughter the youngest one and her daughter led us to her mom," Jeff Highsmith,who had never met his older sister, previously told Fox News Digital. That heartbreaking nickname was retired forever in 2022, thanks to DNA retrieved from the little girl's remains in 2015. the one of the notorious Golden State Killer. Throughout the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked on the case to no avail. The case went cold until 2007 when the states DNA lab was able to develop the suspects DNA profile using fluid that was left on Chiverellas jacket. 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