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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Man arrested for second decades-old Stanford University cold-case murder

The break came when Santa Clara investigators submitted DNA from the Perlov crime scene to the genealogy website GEDMatch. Enter Article DATE HERE A second Stanford University decades-old cold case has been linked to a man who was arrested six months ago through DNA. Leslie Perlov, a Stanford grad, and Janet Taylor, the daughter of a Stanford ...

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Retired Big Island officer accused of stealing evidence turns himself in

Miller, 55, is charged with 10 counts including theft May, 17, 2019 HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A retired Big Island officer indicted by a grand jury for stealing drug evidence has turned himself into police. Brian Miller, 55, is charged with 10 counts including theft, obstructing government operations, tampering with evidence and other offe...

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Former Utah County Sheriff's Office evidence technician being charged after reportedly taking drug evidence

The audit found 12 cases with missing evidence. MAY 17, 2019 A former Utah County Sheriff's Office evidence technician will face charges after he reportedly took drugs that were evidence in 12 cases. Brian William Smith, a 38-year-old man from Lehi, will have criminal charges filed against him by the Utah County Attorney's Office within the next fe...

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A Tossed Cigarette Helped Solve A 1994 Cold Case Murder


They say that smoking kills. For one man, it might have handed him a death sentence after his tossed cigarette May 10, 2019 They say that smoking kills. For one man, it might have handed him a death sentence after his tossed cigarette butt helped police solve a cold case after a DNA breakthrough. According to Fox News, Oregon native Richard E. Knap...

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Drugs, guns, money missing from police evidence room, report finds. Are cases at risk?

The Atwater evidence locker was maintained "sub par at best" without any consistency, proper oversight and included a space at a mini-storage without an alarm, according to a state Department of Justice report. May 10, 2019 The Atwater evidence locker until recently was maintained "sub-par at best" without any consistency, proper oversight and incl...

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Mystery surrounds 1,000 guns seized at Los Angeles mansion connected to Getty family

Authorities described the property as a hoarder's paradise, with guns strewn throughout several of the home's rooms. It took about 30 law enforcement personnel more than 12 hours to remove all the weapons, which included rifles, shotguns, assault weapons and pistols, authorities said. May 10, 2019 A 57-year-old man identified in court records as th...

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Seattle police solve 1967 cold case murder through DNA, family tree

Seattle police have solved a murder from nearly 52 years ago with the help of DNA and a family tree — a method investigators are increasingly using to crack cold cases. May 7, 2018 Susan Galvin was a 20-year-old records clerk for the department in July 1967 when she was found raped and strangled in a parking garage elevator at Seattle Center. Dozen...

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The Evidence In The Vaults Below The Courthouse

The oldest evidence Nicks keeps is from a murder case back in the 1970s. May 3, 2019 As you enter the San Diego Superior Court's evidence storage vaults, the sound that greets you is rushing water. Like a spa, or a relaxing fountain. Except this water runs through a pipe overhead labeled sanitary waste. "It's funny until you have to work under it a...

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Oxnard police arrest murder suspect in 1980 cold case (DNA)

Crediting DNA evidence for the break in the case, police said Lenard Chester, 58, was booked into Ventura County jail Thursday on suspicion of raping and murdering Leah Sarah Bullis, in Oxnard. May 2, 2019 A suspect in an unsolved murder case was arrested nearly four decades after the rape and slaying of an 81-year-old woman, Oxnard police said Thu...

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State audit finds missing evidence, unsecured cash in various Utah police departments

Auditors found that out of the departments analyzed, five of the seven agencies had missing money, firearms, controlled substances or drug paraphernalia from their evidence lockers, according to the report. Enter Article DATE HERE ALT LAKE CITY — A Utah State Auditor's Office report highlighted shortcomings in how many police departments store...

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Vancouver Police Make Arrest In 25-Year-Old Cold Case (DNA / Genealogy)


Police say advancements in DNA technology – and the use of public databases of genealogies May 1, 2019 The Vancouver Police Department announced Tuesday they've charged a Fairview, Oregon, man with a 25-year-old unsolved murder. On Sunday, police arrested Richard Knapp, 57. He's been booked into the Clark County Jail on a murder charge. Police decl...

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Utah nonprofit plans DNA testing lab it says will 'revolutionize cold cases' in U.S.

The coalition hopes to raise $200,000 for DNA lab equipment and has launched a GoFundMe page with a starting goal of $81,000. Enter Article DATE HERE A non-profit in Utah plans to build a DNA testing lab that they say will revolutionize the handling of cold cases. The Utah Cold Case Coalition, which relies on a volunteer staff and was founded ...

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Idaho cold-case murder suspect arraigned

He was arrested in January 2019 after DNA linked him to both Barratt's murder and the 1992 slaying of 57-year-old Marilyn Hickey April 29, 2019 BOISE, Idaho — A man accused of stabbing a Boise woman to death in 1994 was arraigned Monday afternoon. Lee Robert Miller, 54, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 49-year-old Cheryle Barrat...

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New law changes statute of limitations for sex crimes in Washington

A new law in Washington eliminates the statute of limitations for sex crimes involving minors. APRIL 22, 2019 OLYMPIA, Wash. — Survivors of certain sex crimes no longer have to worry about how long they have to report the crime to authorities in Washington state. On Friday, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5649 into law, eliminating the statu...

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SLO sheriff identifies suspect in 2 unsolved Atascadero murders — after 41 years

In 2018, authorities, with assistance from the California Department of Justice's familial DNA search team, conducted a familial DNA search to find matches to the evidence. April 18, 2019 After more than 40 years, a suspect in a pair of Atascadero murders has been identified thanks to DNA evidence, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office announ...

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Legislation targets rape kit backlog

The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab can currently test only 213 kits per month, with a backlog of around 10,000 kits. April 11, 2019 OLYMPIA — A bill to reduce the processing time for sexual assault kits has passed the Washington Legislature in two unanimous votes. Sexual assault kits have remained untested for over a decade in Washington. The Wa...

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DNA leads to arrest in cold case murder of 94-year-old

Police in Northern California say they used DNA evidence to arrest a suspect in the 2013 killing of a 94-year-old woman April 11, 2019 UBA CITY, Calif. (AP) - Police in Northern California say they used DNA evidence to arrest a suspect in the 2013 killing of a 94-year-old woman who was brutally murdered in her home. The Sacramento Bee reports that ...

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Arrest made in 1972 Mill Creek cold case murder (GENEALOGY)

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office has arrested a 77-year-old man in its oldest cold case — the 1972 murder of Jody Loomis. April 11, 2019 On August 23, 1972, Loomis, 20, was riding a bicycle from her Mill Creek-area home on Winesap Road to a pasture where her horse was boarded, but never made it to the field. Detectives said later that day, two...

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Police Solve 45-Year-Old Double Homicide Cold Case Using DNA Evidence

Now over four decades later, police have finally made a breakthrough, March 30, 2019 In 1973, a young couple was found dead in their home in Montana. Police investigated painstakingly for years, conducting hundreds of interviews, They even brought in a psychic to help but to no avail. Now over four decades later, police have finally made a breakthr...

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Police DNA match IDs killer in 1979 La Jolla cold case murder

In October of last year, the San Diego Police Cold Case Unit and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office Cold Case Unit asked the FBI's Investigative Genealogy Team for assistance with the case. March 21, 2019 SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – A crime scene DNA match has, at long last, allowed homicide detectives to determine who stabbed a La Jolla mother...

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Police request help locating owner of wedding albums found in evidence room inventory

The American Fork Police Department is trying to reunite photo albums from its evidence room with their owner, and they are asking the public for its help March 20, 2019 UPDATE: American Fork police said the owner of the photo albums has been identified and contact. "Thank you so much for everyone's help," American Fork Police Department said. (KUT...

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Arrest made in cold case murder of teenage girl (1994)

It's been 24 years since a 14-year-old Minidoka County girl was brutally murdered, and now a man has been arrested in connection to the case. Enter Article DATE HERE RUPERT — It's been 24 years since a 14-year-old Minidoka County girl was brutally murdered, and now a man has been arrested in connection to the case. Regina Krieger disappeared F...

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DNA Cracks Infamous Cold Case Murders: Belmont Man ID'd In Case

Police have identified a suspect who they believe brutally killed Thomas and Alice Green in their East Bay home almost 40 years ago. March 12, 2019 LIVERMORE, CA — Investigators in Livermore are crediting DNA technology and old-fashioned police work with solving a 1981 double homicide. Thomas and Alice Green were found dead in a bedroom of their Li...

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Former deputy arrested in gun theft faces additional charges

He was initially arrested last June after investigators said he sold five guns that he had taken from the home of a man who died. March 9, 2019 SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A former Marion County Sheriff's deputy arrested in the theft of five guns last year now faces additional charges after investigators said they uncovered a wide range of illegal activity....

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DA’s Rape-Kit Testing Effort Yields Zero Arrests So Far; Half of $1 Million Spent


Enter Headline here March 6, 2019 Home » Crime » This Article DA's Rape-Kit Testing Effort Yields Zero Arrests So Far; Half of $1 Million Spent Posted by Ken Stone on In April 2018, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced a $1 million program to test 1,000 backlogged rape kits — aiming to identify DNA and put assailants away. Th...

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James Neal, of Monument, has been accused of killing 11-year-old Linda O’Keefe in Newport Beach, Calif., in 1973


Linda disappeared July 6, 1973. She was seen walking home from summer school, and her body was found the next day. Enter Article DATE HERE COLORADO SPRINGS — A Colorado man arrested after DNA tied him to the 1973 killing of an 11-year-old California girl has yet to decide if he will fight extradition.. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports 72-y...

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Regional police records system ‘a disaster’ as costs mount for Portland police

The ambitious project, though, was beset by problems from the start, with officers complaining that the new system was too cumbersome and complicated to use Enter Article DATE HERE Seven years after it was touted as an innovative electronic records system to manage police reports from 40 police agencies for sharing, the RegJIN program now has ...

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Auburn man charged with rape and murder in 1993 Alaska cold case

Police in Alaska said DNA evidence linked Downs to the crime. February 16, 2019 AUBURN — A 44-year-old Auburn man was arrested Friday and charged with the rape and murder of a woman in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1993. Maine State Police arrested Steven H. Downs in connection with the slaying of 20-year-old Sophie Sergie in April 1993 at the University o...

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Detectives Solve Decades-Old Cold Case Using Public DNA Database

To catch him, law enforcement agencies tapped into the increasingly popular field of consumer DNA testing; they searched a free online database where anyone can share data from at-home genetic tests to hunt for familial matches. February 1, 2019 Detectives in Oregon solved a 40-year-old cold case with the help a popular ancestry and genealogy datab...

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Investigators use genetic genealogy to solve 1983 cold case sexual battery on 12-year-old girl

The suspect, William Louis Nichols, had previously been charged with rape in his home state of Wisconsin Enter Article DATE HERE Authorities in Florida have linked a suspect to a 1983 cold case of sexual battery on a 12-year-old girl using genetic genealogy, an investigative technology that uses an unknown suspect's DNA to trace his or her fam...

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Ex-police tech admits stealing drugs from evidence locker, affecting dozens of cases

It was the second instance of drug thefts at the Billings locker in roughly three years. February 1, 2019 Rawlyn Michelle Strizich pleaded guilty to tampering with public records or information in Yellowstone County District Court on Friday. Under a plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a six-year deferred imposition of sentence and will automatica...

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Murdered 20-year-old woman finally identified 31 years later

Enter Headline here February 6, 2019 Southern California cold case investigators announced this week a breakthrough in identifying a 1987 stabbing victim whose hands had been hacked off by her killer. The investigators identified the Jane Doe homicide victim as Tracey Hobson after 31 years using "forensic genealogy techniques," according to the Ora...

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Portland Police Solve 40-Year-Old Cold Case Murder With DNA Match (Genealogy)


Detectives used forensic genealogy to map familial lines through DNA collected from the crime scene January 31, 2019 Portland's Cold Case Homicide Detail announced the identification of the person it says is responsible for the 40-year-old murder case of Anna Marie Hlavka. Twenty-year-old Hlavka was found dead after being sexually assaulted in her ...

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Fremont cold-case killing solved through familial DNA

The DNA technology company used family trees and narrowed in on Guerrero as a suspect. January 24, 2019 In December 1990, Upton was a manager at the Safeway in Fremont's Irvington neighborhood. Co-workers said he was dependable and was always prompt. "One day, he didn't show up," Blas said. "They got a little bit concerned. Next day he didn't show ...

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Fired police chief bullied others, ignored bad evidence locker, termination letter says

Hired a felon as an officer and supplied a gun to a code enforcement officer who failed a psychological exam. Enter Article DATE HERE The termination letter for former Atwater Police Chief Samuel Joseph alleges he did not properly secure the department's evidence locker, routinely bullied or threatened subordinates, hired a felon as an officer...

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Rape suspect arrested in 1990s cold cases after familial DNA leads investigators to twin brother

In August 2018, investigators, partnering with the FBI's Investigative Genealogy Team, submitted DNA f January 12, 2019 Investigators have arrested a man on suspicion of raping two victims — a 9-year-old girl walking home from the store and a woman jogger, both 1990s cold cases from Orange County — after genealogical data led them to the suspect's ...

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Sheriff Thompson: Evidence room audit complete, new sheriff briefed on current operations

It was discovered that drug evidence had been stolen from our secure facility. Enter Article DATE HERE This message is to communicate to the Weber County public that I have served of the successful completion of our year-long property/evidence room audit, review and inspection. If you recall, in January 2018, it was discovered that a civilian ...

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Jail ordered for Utah sheriff's employee who stole, ate meth from evidence room

Follum told investigators with the county attorney's office that she had become addicted while working there and stole drugs from evidence over three years December 19, 2018 OGDEN — A Weber County sheriff's employee who compromised 20 criminal cases when she stole and used meth that was being held as evidence carried out a "devastating" violation o...

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Handgun reported stolen in 1990 found atop Seattle police officer’s locker

Seattle police were unable to take any action against now-retired Officer Carl Matsumoto after he denied he improperly kept the gun December 6, 2018 On March 9, 2017, a Seattle police officer clearing space above his locker in the South Precinct tried to slide a nylon duffel bag sitting atop the locker next to his. It was too heavy, so he lifted it...

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Rock Springs Police Evidence Room Maintains Accreditation

The award of the IAPE Accreditation was the result of a multi-step process that included the assessment Enter Article DATE HERE ROCK SPRINGS — According to Chief Dwane Pacheco, the Rock Springs Police Evidence Room Maintains IAPE Accreditation. After completing the International Property and Evidence Room Annual Review, the Rock Springs Police...

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23 Years After Her Dad’s Murder, Retired Redondo Beach Police Officers Crack The Case (DNA)


Ted Emery was fatally shot in a parking lot after shopping for groceries in 1995. December 1, 2018 REDONDO BEACH (CBSLA) — Two retired Redondo Beach police officers have cracked a cold case more than 20 years after a man was shot and killed during a grocery run in the South Bay city. Ted Emery was fatally shot in a parking lot after shopping for gr...

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Victim’s Sister In 1973 Cold Case Homicide Speaks At Suspect Arraignment (DNA - Genealogy)


Arthur Getreu, 74, was arrested in Hayward on Nov. 20 after Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies found a match on his DNA through an online genealogy database November 26, 2018 Arthur Getreu, 74, was arrested in Hayward on Nov. 20 after Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies found a match on his DNA through an online genealogy database. He has been...

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Tracy police name victim’s cousin as suspect in 2009 homicide cold case (DNA)


Authorities said Mason died in a vehicle accident in 2015, a year before he was identified as the homicide suspect. November 20, 2018 TRACY — The Tracy Police Department has closed an almost decade-old homicide cold case, but said the suspect is dead. Police announced this week that 72-year-old James Mason is the lone suspect in the killing of his ...

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Deputy accused of stealing from people he arrested sentenced to 3 years probation


Bermudez didn't book it into the sheriff's property room and tried to pocket the money. November 28, 2018 BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - A sentence was handed down for Edward Bermudez, a former Kern County Sheriff's deputy accused of stealing from the people he arrested. Bermudez was sentenced to three years probation. The sheriff's office says Bermudez was...

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Washington city ends gun sales by police after AP probe


Associated Press analysis published in January 2018 found more than a dozen firearms sold by law enforcement agencies in Washington since 2010 later became evidence in new criminal investigations November 6, 2018 SEATTLE — The City Council in Spokane, Washington, has passed an ordinance prohibiting police from selling confiscated firearms, citing a...

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Washington city ends guns sales by police after AP Probe


AP investigation found some guns sold by law enforcement were used in new crimes November 11, 2018 SEATTLE (AP) — The City Council in Spokane, Washington, has passed an ordinance prohibiting police from selling confiscated firearms, citing an Associated Press investigation that found that some guns sold by law enforcement were used in new crimes. "...

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Former evidence tech pleads guilty to consuming contraband held for court cases in Weber County


"If the case was closed and she did not think anyone would come looking for the drugs, then that would be a case from which she would take methamphetamine." October 25, 2018 OGDEN, Utah, Oct. 25, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Candace Follum, a former evidence technician for the Weber County Sheriff's Office, has pleaded guilty to consuming contraband bei...

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Fake Bills Found in Lewiston Not Counterfeit, Legal to Possess


The fake money was found on the ground and is now being held as Lewiston Police investigate. Enter Article DATE HERE LEWISTON, ID — Over the weekend, someone turned in about $2,800 worth of fake bills to authorities. The fake money was found on the ground and is now being held as Lewiston Police investigate. The bills may look pretty convincin...

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Former Fremont County Sheriff's deputy gets 2 years in Department of Corrections


Pleading guilty in August to stealing from the scene of an active homicide investigation earlier this year. October 12, 2018 A former Fremont County Sheriff's deputy was sentenced Friday to two years in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty in August to stealing from the scene of an active homicide investigation earlier this year. Dis...

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