How a Sacramento County investigator solved a 40-year-old cold case

Keep the faith that we are trying and we hope for the families, we can help them." April 25, 2020 SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County Sheriff's investigator Micki Links had been waiting to hear this news for years. "The lab criminalist from the DA's lab sent me a text. He sent me an email, he called my office line," Links said. Advertisem...

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Sheriff’s Office Says It Solved 1993 Cold Case Murder of 15-Year-Old Girl

Alan Edward Dean, 62, was arrested Tuesday in the death of Melissa Lee July 30, 2020 Law enforcement authorities in Washington State say they have solved a 1993 cold case, but their investigation is not over yet. Alan Edward Dean, 62, was arrested Tuesday in the death of Melissa Lee, 15. Authorities said they were able to link the killer to the inc...

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Kingsport police solve 17-year-old cold case

With the help of a private citizen researching missing persons cases, the Kingsport Police Department has solved a 17-year-old cold case involving human remains found in the Holston River August 7, 2020 KINGSPORT — With the help of a private citizen researching missing persons cases, the Kingsport Police Department has solved a 17-year-old cold cas...

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DNA, Public Genealogy Databases Lead To Arrest In 1986 Chisholm Cold Case


"This is the day Nancy Daugherty's family and all of Chisholm have waited for, for over 34 years. Enter Article DATE HERE CHISHOLM, Minn. – Three decades since the rape and murder of Nancy Daugherty in the close-knit city of Chisholm, a 52-year-old man, Michael Carbo Jr., living in that very community was arrested for the crime Wednesday on pr...

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California county’s oldest Jane Doe cold case murder solved after 52-year mystery

"After more than five decades, advances in investigative genetic genealogy did what old-fashioned police work could not: Give Jane Doe a name and identify her killer," he said. July 25, 2020 A California county's oldest Jane Doe murder has been solved through DNA and genetic genealogy. The crime-fighting technique helped identify the victim and fin...

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Arrested in cold case murder that took place while he was on force (DNA)


July 4, 2020 A Florida man has been accused of killing a convenience store owner 21 years ago in a home invasion robbery that took place when the suspect was working as a detective for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and knew the victim from surveilling him for a drug investigation. William Robert Baer Jr., 64, and his ex-wife Melissa Schafer, 50...

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OC sheriff’s investigators smuggled boxes of evidence in Golden State Killer case to book author, attorney says

The incident is described in Michelle McNamara's book and depicted in an HBO July 1, 2020 Orange County sheriff's investigators smuggled boxes of statewide evidence on the Golden State Killer to a true-crime author in 2016, foreshadowing an internal audit that showed the agency had systemic problems mishandling such evidence, court papers show. Det...

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Washington state murder victim, 17, ID'd after nearly 43 years, police say

Precious Jane Doe, a woman murdered in Washington state in 1977, has been identified with the help of DNA and genetic genealogy, authorities said June 25, 2020 Precious Jane Doe, a woman murdered in Washington state in 1977, has been identified with the help of DNA and genetic genealogy, authorities said. The victim is now known to have been 17-yea...

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Ohio police say cold case murder of 8-year-old girl solved with DNA, genetic genealogy

Cold case murder of Kelly Ann Prosser was solved using DNA and genetic genealogy June 26, 2020 An 8-year-old Ohio girl was raped and killed nearly 38 years ago by a convicted pedophile who has been dead for more than two decades, police said Friday. The cold case murder of Kelly Ann Prosser was solved using DNA and genetic genealogy, Columbus polic...

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Tennessee convict charged with killing two women in 2001

Dentures collected by investigators, in that case, had been placed in a police property room June 24, 2020 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee convict serving prison time for a 2001 rape has been charged with killing two women later that year, prosecutors said. A Shelby County grand jury has indicted Thomas Maupin, 70, on murder charges in the deaths...

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42-Year Old Cold Case Murder Solved; Real Estate Agent’s Body Was Found At Cantonment Home

DNA evidence was collected on scene, but lack of technology made it impossible to use for an arrest. June 11, 2020 On April 7, 1978, the body of 47-year-old Carolyn Cox Rose was discovered in a house in the Pine Forest Hills subdivision off Highway 297A. Rose, who was vice president of Better Homes Realty, received a call to show the empty home. Wh...

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Phoenix police make arrest in cold case murder dating back to 1987

DNA at the scene of the crime was later matched to 52-year-old Darron Joseph Miniefield May 7, 2020 PHOENIX (3TV/CBS5) -- Phoenix police have made an arrest in a cold case murder that dates back more than 30 years. On Feb. 21, 1987, 41-year-old Marilyn Johns was found in an alley near Central Avenue and Lincoln Street in the downtown area. She had ...

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How a true crime book and a DNA hit led to an arrest in Spring Hill's coldest case — and maybe more


Baldwin, a long-haul truck driver who'd traveled across 48 states May 21, 2020 About a year ago, Spring Hill Police Department patrolman Ty Hadley saw a book on a desk inside a co-worker's office and unknowingly started a life-changing conversation. The hardback, "In the Name of the Children" by retired FBI Special Agent Jeffrey L. Rinek, belonged ...

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Arrest Made in 1987 Cold Case Murder of Barbara Blatnik Thanks to Genetic Genealogy


Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that provides assistance to families of the missing and murdered in Ohio, paid for DNA testing May 7, 2020 Cuyahoga Falls police today announced the arrest of 67-year-old James Zastawnik of Cleveland for the December 1987 murder of Barbara Blatnik. Blatnik was just 17 when her nude, strangled body was found near Blos...

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Delaware County cold case homicide from 1983 solved with help of DNA database

Detectives used Parabon Nanolabs, a DNA/genealogical database April 29, 2020 DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio (WCMH) – Detectives with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office say they've solved a homicide from 1983. On October 16, 1983 the body of 15-year-old John Anthony Muncy was found by a deputy along the side of the road in northern Delaware County. Investi...

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Sacramento County officials announce arrest 40 years after Rosemont woman found killed in her home

They say DNA evidence led them to her alleged killer. April 25, 2020 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — A picture of Robin Brooks sits in the living room of retired Sacramento County Sheriff's Homicide Sgt. Micki Links. "That's one of the reasons I came back after retirement. I just had a passion to help the families," Sgt. Links told FOX40. Links was a s...

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Cold case: Nevada convict charged in 1981 rape, murder of 16-year-old Oakland girl

After the DNA match last year and more investigation, including the jail house interview, April 24, 2020 OAKLAND — A 57-year-old man serving a prison term in Nevada for sexual assault has been charged in the Dec. 23, 1981 fatal stabbing and rape of a 16-year-old high school honor student whose body was found in a West Oakland parking lot, according...

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SI 'bishop' arrested for 1980 cold-case murder of Brooklyn teen Lorraine Snell


Chief of the District Attorney's Forensic Science and Cold Case unit, worked closely with the NYPD to utilize enhanced DNA technology. March 12, 2020 STATEN ISLAND — The mother of a Flatbush murder victim who was just 19 when she was strangled in 1980 sobbed tears of relief Thursday when PIX11 showed her photographic evidence that the long-time per...

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Arizona Man Originally Suspected in 1978 Cold Case Murder and Sexual Assault Arrested 42 Years Later

All evidence related to the crimes had been preserved by detectives and was stored in the department's property room  April 12, 2020 An Arizona man has been arrested on murder and sexual assault charges more than four decades after police discovered the two victims in the back of a pick-up truck. Glenn Williams, now 62, was the original suspec...

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Fairfax County detectives solve ’72 cold case murder of Karen Lee Spencer

The suspect, James "Jimmy" Edwards died in 1997. April 5, 2020 FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (WDVM) — Police say they have solved the murder of a 12-year-old Virginia girl, who was last seen alive in 1972. The Cold Case Squad at the Fairfax County Police Department believes Karen Lee Spencer's alleged boyfriend at the time killed her in the Huntington area o...

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Spokane Police used genealogy, exhumed suspected killer’s grave to solve 1985 cold case murder

Spokane Police Wednesday detailed the DNA link between a now-dead man and the rape and murder of a 12-year-old Spokane girl in 1985. March 28, 2020 SPOKANE, Wash – With details right out of a procedural crime show, Spokane Police Wednesday detailed the DNA link between a now-dead man and the rape and murder of a 12-year-old Spokane girl in 1985. Ma...

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Fort Wayne Police make arrest in cold case stabbing

Her case ran cold until detectives spent nearly a year reviewing evidence, conducting forensic testing, and interview multiple witnesses in several states including the suspect. March 25, 2020 FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA21) - Fort Wayne Police homicide detectives made an arrest in a cold case stemming from a 2002 stabbing that left a 17-year-old girl de...

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Cold-Case Team, FBI Agents Secure Arrest in 2001 Cold-Case Homicide

The Cold Case Team had a confirmation with a match from the victim's DNA and crime-scene evidence. March 17, 2020 CHINO HILLS – A long-ago mystery into the death of a pregnant female dumped onto the roadway in 2001 came to the fore during the collaboration of Homicide Cold Case Detectives and agents from the FBI Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team. Fir...

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Man suspected in four 1984 Colorado cold case murders advised of charges in Arapahoe Co. case

DNA technology linked Ewing to both the Arapahoe and Jefferson county cases, March 4, 2020 DENVER – The man suspected of killing four people and sexually assaulting a young girl in 1984, who was extradited back to Colorado from Nevada in recent days, was advised of the multiple felony charges he faces in his Arapahoe County case Monday. Alex Christ...

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1991 Asbury Park Homicide Cold Case Solved After 28 Years

DNA profiles from the victim's body, stockings, slip, and dress were retained and tested Enter Article DATE HERE FREEHOLD– A 1991 Asbury Park murder has been solved after new DNA evidence testing provided a crucial break in the case, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. On the morning of March 27, 1991, the Asbury P...

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Raped 45 years ago, woman returns to bring attacker to justice — for other woman's murder

Now 75, wheelchair-bound and in shackles, even after 45 years she recognized him, she told the court. February 7, 2020 Editor's note: This article contains graphic descriptions of crime that some readers may find disturbing. For more than four decades, "Diane Doe" has tried to bury memories of the rape she survived as a teenager in her parents' Pal...

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CRIME HUNTER: DNA links 'monster' to 1976 slaying

The magic elixir for solving the case was DNA and genetic genealogy. Enter Article DATE HERE On Jan. 12, 1976, Pamela Maurer left a pal's house to get a soda from a bodega. The 16-year-old vanished into thin air and was never seen alive again. Her frozen body was found the next morning on the frozen plains outside Lisle, Illinois. She had been...

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Man arrested for 19-year-old cold case murder

"After all these years, my dad will finally be able to rest in peace and our family will be able to rest a little better at night knowing that the person who did this is finally getting what he deserves, January 14, 2020 OMAHA, Neb. (FOX 42 KPTM) — The family of a man who was murdered 19 years ago is now getting justice. Metro Area Fugitive Task Fo...

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Arrest made in 2005 cold case murder of 79-year-old woman in Pasco County

He lived about two blocks away from Bobrick and was tied to these crimes with a few key pieces of evidence; including one of his hairs found in her home. December 27, 2019 ASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A more than 14-year-old cold case murder investigation was heating up in Pasco County on Friday. Brian Stoll, 34, was arrested and accused of beating to death...

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DNA Used to Solve Decades-Old Cold Case Murder of 11-Year-Old Julie Fuller

Victim, family were staying in an Arlington hotel after recently moving to North Texas from England December 14, 2019 Fort Worth police say they've solved the decades-old cold case murder of an 11-year-old girl using DNA phenotyping. On June 27, 1983, Julie Fuller was reported missing after she'd gone to take out the trash at the Kensington Motel i...

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Man arrested in connection with 37-year-old cold case

"The implication of being able to solve these cases is immense. December 13, 2019 SALT LAKE CITY — Authorities in Salt Lake City made an arrest in a 37-year-old cold case, according to a press release issued Wednesday. Detectives from the Salt Lake City Police Department Homicide Squad said they have arrested Bryan Reed, 55. Reed is currently await...

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Man arrested, charged in connection to 1992 St. Paul unsolved homicide (DNA)

In 2012, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office opened a specialized unit focused on closing cold cases. December 13, 20-19 Updated: December 11, 2019 10:09 PM A man has been arrested and charged in connection to the 1992 death of Annette Seymour, according to attorneys and court records. A criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County, states John Robert...

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This groundbreaking DNA testing method solved a 1981 cold case

Clippings from Brown's fingernails were kept on file — and OCME experts used their newly developed technique to see if she'd captured some of her attacker's DNA when they grappled. October 21, 2019 The city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Tuesday will teach labs across the country about a groundbreaking forensics procedure that helped sol...

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Arrest Made In Anaheim Cold Case Murder

Rapid DNA led to finding a Houston man, suspected of killing a coworker in 2000. October 11, 2019 ANAHEIM, CA - A 47-year-old Houston man was behind bars Friday in Anaheim on a murder charge dating back 19 years. Leopoldo Vargas Serrano, who was taken into custody in Texas last month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, is charged with gu...

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DNA ties California man to decades-old cold case murder, sexual assaults: police

California police say DNA has helped link a 52-year-old man to eight cold cases -- the rape and murder of a Fresno woman 23 years ago and the sexual assaults of seven Enter Article DATE HERE California police say DNA has helped link a 52-year-old man to eight cold cases -- the rape and murder of a Fresno woman 23 years ago and the sexual assau...

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Covington man arrested for 1991 cold case murder of 16-year-old Federal Way girl


DNA evidence was discovered at the time at the crime scene, and a suspect DNA profile was identified. October 4, 2019 Editor's note – This story contains graphic detail of a murder case. Reader discretion is advised. After nearly three decades, a cold case arrest has been made for the 1991 murder of Sarah Yarborough, a 16-year-old Federal Way stude...

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Genealogy, DNA helped identify Utahn suspected in multiple sex assaults

He is charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual assault, six counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated burglary, and one count of aggravated robbery, all first-degree felonies. Enter Article DATE HERE CLEARFIELD — Ogden Police Capt. Timothy Scott knew that someday the case of two brutal rapes in Clearfield from the mid 199...

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DNA cold case: Louisiana woman charged in 25-year-old murder of 'Baby Jane Doe'

​The newborn, dubbed 'Baby Jane Doe' by investigators, was found Jan. 24, 1994, in a 55-gallon drum behind Bob's Car Wash in Jeanerette, September 26, 2019 A Louisiana woman has been charged with murder after DNA evidence linked her to a newborn girl left to freeze to death in a trash can 25 years ago, authorities said. Sonia Charles, 50, of New Ib...

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DNA Evidence, Persistence Lead To 2 Arrests In 1983 Tulsa Cold Case Murder (DNA)

Police say on September 18, 1983, Baltes was found dead in a motel room, where he'd been tied up and beaten. Septemeber 22, 2019 TULSA, Oklahoma - Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced Friday that his office has charged two people with first-degree murder in a 1983 Tulsa cold case. Both are now in custody: 61-year-old Willie Moore. Moore ...

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Arrests made in cold case homicide reported in 1980

The Repository also assisted with the documentation of the victim's DNA profil Aufust 19, 2019 On November 5, 1980, the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office received a complaint related to the discovery of skeletal remains near Highway 28 West, in the Gardener area. The complainant reported the remains were located in a wooded area near Nichols Cemetery...

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Arrest made in cold case murder of Shelley Connolly

OREGON MAN CHARGED AFTER DNA LINKS HIM TO KILLING AND SEX ASSAULT 41 YEARS AGOEnter heading here... September 5, 2019 The Alaska State Troopers made an arrest in connection to the 1978 murder and sexual assault of 16-year-old Shelley Connolly. On September 3, 2019, 62-year-old Donald F. McQuade of Gresham, OR, was taken into custody and charged wit...

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How Genealogy Tests are Being Used to Crack Cold Cases

September 1, 2019 Thanks to the use of a new investigative technique called "genetic genealogy," investigators have seen tremendous success in cracking decades-old cold cases. Breakthroughs using this technique have come from a blend of DNA analysis and archival research to provide investigators with their first real leads in years. Previously, for...

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Grand jury indicts 60-year-old man in 1988 cold case murder of woman

DNA evidence from Jacobs' clothing that could finally be processed using modern technology,  August 30, 2019 JEFFERSON COUNTY — DEVELOPING: The Jefferson County grand jury has indicted Daniel Andrew MacGinnis, 60, for the 1988 murder of Patricia Ann Jacobs. Her body was discovered in October, 1988 in the Neches River beneath the Rainbow Bridge...

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More than 30 years later, a break in the death of a R.I. 10-year-old

A forensic scientist at the Rhode Island Department of Health determined on Wednesday that DNA from blood stains on the crotch of Christine's pants "was consistent" with the DNA profile of a man who was living above Saints Market when she stopped to buy milk on Jan. 6, 1988 July 18, 2019 PAWTUCKET, R.I. — A man who had lived above a market where a ...

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Idaho 1987 cold case solved through DNA recovered from victim’s fingernails, police say

The Idaho State Police lab initially lacked the capacity to conduct DNA testing on scrapings from Bristow's fingernails July 1, 2019 A 32-year-old Idaho cold case murder has been solved through DNA found on the victim's fingernails Tammy Bristow, 18, was found strangled in her apartment in Sandpoint on Jan. 8, 1987. Police had initially arrested a ...

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Seminole Grand Jury issues indictment in 1986 cold case homicide

Detectives said they were able to match crime scene evidence to Emitt's DNA, through a national data base. June 14, 2019 LAKE MARY, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - An over three-decades-long homicide cold case out of Florida has been put to rest, after authorities said DNA evidence recently led investigators to a suspect in Tennessee. The Seminole County S...

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Kathleen Flynn cold case homicide: Suspect tracked for decades

The warrant details the process on how other suspects in Kathleen's murder were eliminated through DNA testing and hair samples. June 14, 2019 ORWALK — Marc Karun first popped onto police radar as a potential suspect two weeks after Kathleen Flynn was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death near Ponus Ridge Middle School in September 1986. ...

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Arrest made in Colorado Springs cold case, 20-year-old female Fort Carson soldier murdered

Police found DNA evidence on the victim's body, but it took years to identify a suspect. June 14, 2019 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - More than three decades after a Fort Carson soldier was found strangled to death, police believe they caught her murderer. Arrest papers obtained by 11 News detail how authorities tracked the alleged killer down. P...

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Police identify killer in 47-year-old cold case murder of ISU student (DNA)


In 2009, familial DNA testing was requested, but it was never approved. May 3, 2019 INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — After nearly 47 years, police say they have identified the killer of an Indiana State University student. Pam Milam was 19 when her body was found in the trunk of her car on campus back in 1972. She was tied up and strangled.  Clothesline ...

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How a DNA database's new policy is changing police access and could hinder solving cold cases

A change to GEDmatch, a third-party genealogy site that's helped crack cold cases through user's DNA, may hinder law enforcement's ability to use the database to catch killers. Enter Article DATE HERE A change to GEDmatch, a third-party genealogy site that's helped crack cold cases through user's DNA, may hinder law enforcement's ability to us...

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