On October 11, 2022, Marilyn Mosby announced that all charges had been dropped against Syed due to advanced DNA testing on Lee's clothing. Proud "Mommy" to Crocker and Phi Phi. After being interviewed by troopers in his Arkansas home in early August 2020, Branch died by suicide. "Boy in the Box" identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli. DeRoos was found dead of a drug overdose in a hotel room in 1986. The night of July 19, the couple had a fight and William DeRoos went for a walk to get some air. They just wanted justice. All Rights Reserved. After DNA and dental records confirmed the remains were Drexel's, police soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond Moody for her kidnapping and murder. Reyes was 9 when her mother was killed, and said she thinks about her every day. A photo of 20-year old Eve Wilkowitz from Project: Cold Case. In Alabama: A college student disappeared in 1976. In March 2022, 15 years after Knutson's murder, police arrested Rice (34 at the time) for the murder. A DNA sample taken at the time of that arrest was eventually used to connect him to the Lloyd and Cuevas slayings. There was just intimate details about where she was disposed of, how her clothes were displayed, stuff like that, Womer said. The 76- and 73-year-olds were found stabbed to death in their home, which showed no signs of forced entry. Moore, who was at the news conference via Zoom, credited the databases of DNA that are now available to scientists because of genealogy testing and the detectives who collected evidence at the time of the murder. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. All Rights Reserved. Reyes said shes still bothered by the image the media painted of her mother, who was unemployed at the time of her death. It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old. It didn't take long - in June of 2022, Holly was found alive, living in Oklahoma, after she'd been adopted as an infant. 'Help me find my children': How race affects social media efforts to find missing kids. Did you encounter any technical issues? We have so many precious memories of Marise. All Rights Reserved. According to WRDW News, the case is believed to be the first time that both a murder victim and perpetrator were identified using DNA technology in the same case. 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). Jones arraignment is slated for March 1, according to the Superior Court clerks office. Highsmiths mother gave her the job. Scientists were able to use the unknown DNA to find potential matches in public databases and create a reverse family tree. This method eventually led to a man named Kenneth Gould, who unfortunately passed away in 2007. Her coworker discovered her lifeless body in her bedroom. But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. Behind every long-term missing person or unsolved murder case is a family who continues to look for answers. The Burlington Police Department reactivated the case in 2019 when Lt. Detective Commander Jim Trieb put his whole team of detectives on the case. Discovery Company. No child should ever have to grow up without their mom.. 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. Police were hoping this was the break in the case they needed, but the DNA didnt return any matches. Because Forte had been dead since 1980, DNA was taken from his exhumed body. It was hurtful. Did you encounter any technical issues? While not all breaks have led to arrests just yet, police have been able to use modern DNA forensics technology and genetic genealogy to link evidence from crime scenes to a certain person or group. 00:00 Intro00:18 Nacole Smith03:55 Jessica Gutierrez 05:35 Patricia Cavallaro07:05 Susan Wint. In February 1990, about 15 months after she was killed, the paper received an anonymous letter from a concerned citizen with information that only the killer would know, police said. "I was happy to finally put a face behind the monster who took her from us," she said, "[but] upset that he will never be able to face consequences.". Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. They found Knutson's body; investigators determined she'd been deceased for over a day. 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. 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 following day, his girlfriend, 16-year-old Patricia Kalitzke, was found in another area of town, also killed with a bullet to the head, but with the added horror of a sexual assault. In this case, it appears justice will indeed be served; as of this writing, Sinopoli is being held without bail, awaiting trial for Biechler's murder. All rights reserved. A direct sample of Sinopolis DNA was obtained and matched to the sample found at the murder scene. On Tuesday,. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madgers clothing was identified as matching the DNA of one Stephen Simcak. An undated image of Sharon Gallegos. Theyre trying to determine whether he knew Kane, and have urged anyone who knows the nature of their relationship to reach out. The team has. DNA testing of Curran's housecoat at the lab in Florida further confirmed that DeRoos had committed the crime. Two years later, in 1989, a California woman, Renee Cuevas, was also found murdered. In 1988, Robertson worked as local tow truck driver in San Diego, according to investigators, but after Dahns murder, he left his family and moved about 20 miles away to Lakeside, California. In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. Antoinette Parks, Gwendolyn Harris and Madeleine Furey-Livaudais. With millions of users seeking to explore their genetic roots, the practice has become a big business. They lived in the same apartment building as Curran. The Best New Cooking & Food Shows of 2022, 2022 Movie Moments That Punched Us in the Gut, True Crime Cold Cases That Had Updates In 2022. Her siblings on Thursday described her as a quiet, sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming a nun. Through that, police were able the get their first genealogical match: a very distant relative, possibly a 6th cousin, according to Brutosky. Beyer said he was blown away when he heard how his mothers case had finally been solved. Dahns 2-year-old was wandering around the apartment complex. It was the rare case in which a fleeting moment of conscience, and not new technology, was the key to unraveling a three-decade-old crime. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Why did he kill a young woman who was just trying to take care of her children? To law enforcement agencies everywhere, arguably one of the greatest of these technologies would be the myriad uses of DNA profiling and, more recently, forensic genealogy. A blood sample found in Louises car back in October 1989 was tested for DNA. The circumstances around what led up to her death remain a mystery, 34 years later -- but DNA evidence points to her killer. TheYavapai County Sheriff's Office said witnesses reported that a man, woman and child approached Sharon in a dark green sedan. However, using DNA from Goulds surviving relatives, police were able to determine with certainty that he was responsible for the double homicide and sexual assault of Lloyd and Kalitzke. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. REMAINS OF LITTLE MISS NOBODY IDD AS NEW MEXICO GIRL, 4, ABDUCTED IN 1960 AND FOUND IN ARIZONA DESERT. His remains were identified 47 years later. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Woman found dead in 1971 identified 52 years later after community fundraiser for DNA testing, How race affects social media efforts to find missing kids, hours of research through genealogical records and public records. NYC 'TORSO KILLER PLEADS GUILTY TO 1968 MURDER OF LONG ISLAND WOMAN DIANE CUSICK, ADMITS TO KILLING 4 OTHERS. "The FBI and our partners will not give up. The lack of closure has added to the distress of losing their mother, she said. Today we take a look at 20 cold cases that were solved in 2022. The nurse told a security guard, who relayed the information to Orlando police, who paid a visit to Cates in the hospital where they were able to obtain a confession on an officer's body cam. Investigators dont know much about Grim other than he lived in the nearby Hamburg, Pennsylvania, area. Blood evidence believed to be the killers was found on the victims clothing but remained unidentified. In the world of unsolved mysteries, it is always satisfying to see some of. You know you have family, you know you have family who loves you, but sometimes you do feel alone all the time.. 7.6K 402K views 6 months ago In this video, we will talk about decades-old cold cases that were solved in 2022. Highsmith disappeared from Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 23, 1971, when she was just 21 months old. Over 230 department personnel had a hand in the investigation over the years, without including civilians in the crime lab, Baron added. He then resurfaced in San Francisco in 1974 when he met his second wife, Sarah Hepting. Melissa said she had a troubled childhood: "I didn't feel loved as a child. Over the next 14 years, authorities diligently ruled out the presence of any DNA not matching Strutner's in the 1980 evidence and finally, in 2022, he was named as Dukat's murderer. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Raymond Moody was sentenced to life in prison Oct. 19 for the 2009 rape and murder of 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Georgetown County Sheriff's Office/Associated Press). But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. 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. or redistributed. Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. When 53-year-old John Stagner was beaten to death in his bed in Orlando, Florida, in 1992, police honed in on a suspect almost immediately, according to Fox 35 Orlando: Ronald Cates, a friend of Stagner's who happened to be a drug addict. appreciated. The detectives careful preservation of DNA evidence in 1988 provided a solid foundation for todays investigators to examine with new technology, Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Lee had disappeared and her body was found several weeks later, strangled. In recent years this method has helped solve some of the nations most high-profile cold cases, including the one of the notorious Golden State Killer. DNA technology was credited with cracking the case. By. This is fourth oldest cold case to be solved in in the country using genetic genealogy and the oldest in the state of Pennsylvania, according to state police Cpl. Here is a look at some of the top cold cases solved in 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. Dean was reportedly involved with a Jesus People organization before his death. 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