Patrick Gilham pleaded no contest to murder of Roxanne Wood. Despite his confession, Kinlaw couldn't be charged with the murder until positive identification of his victim was made and with that accomplished, a first-degree murder charge was filed against him in July 2022. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Legal Statement. Unfortunately, there was no match to a suspect at the time. In this case, investigators were looking for relatives whose DNA matched those of the unidentified suspect in Dahns murder. Cold Case detectives couldnt figure out the connection between Robertson and Dahn. On Tuesday,. 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. We were fortunate enough to have most of the related family cooperate and provide us their DNA samples.. In a statement announcing the closure of the investigation, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office stated its confidence that "the evidence in this case would support a conviction of Drummond for the murder of Joette Smith.". The 17-year-old had left home in Chili, NY, without telling her parents, who were going through a divorce. Detectives began watching Sinopoli, and before he boarded a flight at Philly International Airport, they collected a discarded coffee cup that provided the DNA sample they needed to nail him. "I am mourning my beautiful daughter Brittanee as I have for the past 13 years. She was loved. The young couple was then positively ID'd as Dean and Tina Clouse, who had recently relocated to Lewisville, TX from central Florida. The Burlington Police Department reactivated the case in 2019 when Lt. Detective Commander Jim Trieb put his whole team of detectives on the case. She described Dahn as an amazing person who played the violin and guitar. 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. 25, 2022 at 9:15 PM PDT. 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. The extensive family tree Schubert put together led investigators to James Forte, who had a record of violent sexual assault. On April 25, she left her Myrtle Beach hotel to visit a friend staying at another hotel. appreciated. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. 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. New DNA evidence shows someone else did it. or redistributed. 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. REMAINS OF LITTLE MISS NOBODY IDD AS NEW MEXICO GIRL, 4, ABDUCTED IN 1960 AND FOUND IN ARIZONA DESERT. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. The case went cold. Acting on the suspicions of her family in Mexico, authorities examined trace DNA from the ropes used to bind her, comparing it with DNA given by the family of Edward Geddes (pictured), Lina's husband, who had died by suicide in 2001. until you are in jail. She also enjoyed playing the organ. When they did, the now-elderly killer presumably weary from looking over his shoulder for 45 years broke down and confessed to the crime. The letter writer also left his DNA when he licked the envelope. In recent years, companies like 23andMe and Ancestry have encouraged people to explore their genealogy by spitting into a tube and sending it off for analysis. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Melissa, who had been living in Fort Worth the whole time, met her parents for the first time on November 26 at age 53. Discovery Company. I couldnt believe it, she said, referring to the day police told her about the killings. Melissa said she had a troubled childhood: "I didn't feel loved as a child. Published 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. Its also become a valuable tool for law enforcement officers trying to solve old crimes. DNA genealogy was used to compare the sample to public databases to find familial matches. The case went cold after that. Syed was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 but has maintained his innocence all along. 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. "They couldn't have possibly imagined the power that we would have at this time to actually use that to narrow it down to one person.". Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. - The suspect in a 1983 cold case murder is believed to be a Florida sheriff's deputy who worked in several counties, including in Central Florida, according to the St. Lucie. That detail was a small mole on Geddes' right ear, which was enough for police to make a tenuous connection to Geddes. She was only 9 years old. After he'd moved to Texas, and his letters had stopped coming, his mother says she was contacted by a member of the organization about returning his car. But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. 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. Meanwhile, detectives sent the genetic evidence from the cigarette butt to a genealogy company to see if a bigger database of DNA could help them find the killer. appreciated. Missing Melissa Highsmith's mother poses next to a composite sketch of her daughter's suspected kidnapper in a Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper article. No one deserves what happened to her.. All Rights Reserved. The crime scene outside of the apartment complex where both Robertson and Dahn lived on May 2, 1988. Highsmith disappeared from Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 23, 1971, when she was just 21 months old. 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. Published 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. 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. Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day. 2. 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. Jon Kadner sent DNA swabs from Kalitzkes sexual assault to forensic genealogists at Bode Technology. Most cold cases do not get solved, so it is still fairly a spectacular occurrence when one is. Nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in March 1964 when she was kidnapped. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. Brett Bowen sent DNA from Loves sexual assault for advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy. Reyes was 9 when her mother was killed, and said she thinks about her every day. If convicted, Jones would face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the documents said. After her death, Reyes aunt took her in and raised her while her two brothers moved in with their father. Because Forte had been dead since 1980, DNA was taken from his exhumed body. Using data from Brittanee's cell phone, authorities were finally able to pinpoint the location of Brittanee's disappearance more effectively than in previous attempts, which led to the discovery of a surveillance video implicating Moody in the crime, as reported by Democrat & Chronicle. For 34 years, Reyes, along with her two brothers and their grandmother, have wondered who killed Kane. The body of a young child tragically known as "Little Miss Nobody" was identified in February after remaining a mystery for over 60 years. 2023 Cable News Network. Here is a look at some of the top cold cases solved in 2022. But in November 2022, a DNA test from the website 23andMe connected Highsmith's children to the family she was born into. It was obtained legally through a search warrant, Trate said. Mark Baron. Stacy Falcon-Dewey, 23, and her 3-year-old son, Jacob Dewey, were found shot dead on October 28, 1994, in Renton, Washington. 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. Now they're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. It has been hard growing up without a mom, she said. Ten years later, investigators opened Dahns case again, looking for new leads and use of new technology. 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. NEBRASKA MAN ID'D AS MINNESOTA COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM, The real Melissa Highsmith beside a colorized photo illustration of what she was believed to look like from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Updated Her father, Jeffrie Highsmith, submitted his DNA to the website, and he was matched to Melissa's three children as their grandfather. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones. On Aug. 23, 1971, the woman picked up Melissa from the mothers apartment, where a roommate had been watching the child while her mom was at work. Baldwin County cold case solved after 22 years. Reyes said one of her fondest childhood memories was taking walks with her mother and seeing her suddenly dance to random music playing in stores as they passed. Reyes knows shell never get the answers. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Authorities believe that Drexel's remains were buried on April 26, 2009, just one day after she was abducted. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). "Boy in the Box" identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli. In her pockets were two notes and some cash; one note clarified to police that the death had been a suicide, and the other directed them to use the cash for funeral expenses. Jerome Frank Jones, 51, has been charged with aggravated murder in the 1994 deaths of Stacy Falcon-Dewey, 23, and her 3-year-old son, Jacob Dewey, in Renton, Washington, according to the documents filed Tuesday. To confirm, Forte was exhumed last month so that investigators could take a DNA sample to match the suspects profile. Rita Curran was violently murdered in her Vermont apartment in 1971 - and the case remained a mystery for decades. 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 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children). That is, until 2019, when Detective Sgt. Although her mother had a dark past that included drug use and prostitution, she was trying to turn her life around, Reyes said. After DNA and dental records confirmed the remains were Drexel's, police soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond Moody for her kidnapping and murder. The 1980 murder of Asenath Dukat was one that shook the Columbus, Ohio community for a simple reason. A year later, Robertson moved to Indiana and lived there until he died at age 39, in a house fire on November 25, 1999, investigators said. 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. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). Warren Robertson was Diane Lynn Dahn's neighbor inside the same apartment complex in San Diego, California in 1988. For over 60 years, the identity of a girl whose body was found in an Arizona desert has been a mystery. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Like how you go from what little information you have to building a case like that was truly impressive, he said. No one knew what had become of her. 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. Anna Kane, in an undated family photo. A podcast dedicated to highlighting cold cases that have been solved and closed. A man named Michael Louise, who was the Peacocks son-in-law, was identified as a suspect a few weeks later. Thats where genetic genealogy came in. In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. (Jeff Highsmith). Police said Josephs parents have since died, and no one claimed the child or reported him missing at the time his remains were discovered. Investigators determined Drexel was strangled. Blood pooled around his misshapen head, with his neck and head sustaining multiple injuries. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. The man who would eventually be named as her killer, Raymond Moody, had been a person of interest in Brittanee Drexel's disappearance as far back as 2012 but until just recently, they had nothing solid connecting him to the crime. In December 1996, police stumbled upon a mystery fit for a detective novel. Beichlers case was revived in 2019 when prosecutors released composite images of a man whose DNA was supposedly left at the scene. A look at the best and most underrated in entertainment, music, and sports in 2022. Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day. 00:00 Intro00:18 Nacole Smith03:55 Jessica Gutierrez 05:35 Patricia Cavallaro07:05 Susan Wint. In 1988, state authorities in Georgia were presented with a crime that would seem nearly impossible to solve: The killing of 19-year-old Stacey Chahorski, whose body was found alongside a highway near the state's border with Alabama. In the 36 years since, the case was passed to many detectives, all to no avail. Nathan Trate said at the news conference. Jones is currently imprisoned for murdering a man in 1995 in California, prosecuting attorney Jessica Berliner said. Despite the abundance of blood at the scene, none of the DNA could be conclusively linked to anyone other than the victim. The case was partially resolved in 2005 when Richard Kinlaw serving a 20 years-to-life sentence in prison for the murder of another woman confessed in writing to Princess Doe's murder. Her coworker discovered her lifeless body in her bedroom. Four-year-old Sharon Lee Gallegos partially decomposed body was found over 500 miles from her New Mexico home July 31, 1960. Arizona: Woman found dead in 1971 identified 52 years later after community fundraiser for DNA testing. Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripperand DNA: New techsolvingmurders. For instance, some of the contents of Stacys purse were strewn about the vehicle including her wallet. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Updated The results came back to match a man named Marcus Love. One of the few people with keys to the apartment was Knutson's then 18-year-old roommate, Nichole Rice, who quickly fell under suspicion. This is the fifth time the Sheriffs Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In 2008, police were alerted to a potential match with the recently-obtained DNA profile of Brent Strutner, a local who had died by suicide in 1984 and who was among the original batch of suspects. The first case is of Roxanne Leigh Wood from 1987, which was solved in March 2022, after. The prior DNA connection between the suspect and swabs taken from Falcon-Dewey was also confirmed, it said. I felt a little bit of everything when I found out, she told CNN. After more than three decades of questions and grief, Tamika Reyes finally knows who killed her mother. 8:36 AM EDT, Fri August 26, 2022. Missing Melissa Highsmith's mother poses next to a composite sketch of her daughter's suspected kidnapper in a Fort Worth Star Telegram newspaper article. Rita Curran was murdered in her Burlington apartment in 1971, and the case remained a mystery for years. 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. The Hazelton, Pennsylvania, girl was found later the same afternoon, raped and strangled. To date, this cold case is one of the oldest to be recently solved with DNA evidence.[2]. They found Knutson's body; investigators determined she'd been deceased for over a day. Police determined that Mr. Smith had indeed lived in the area at the time and had, in fact, been arrested for but never convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder in Las Vegas in 1998. Before the judge overturned the conviction, prosecutors in Baltimore had asked for a new trial the previous week. Beyer said he was blown away when he heard how his mothers case had finally been solved. The 25-year-old was stabbed over 40 times with her infant son in the room. when he met his second wife, Sarah Hepting. Mark Beyer, who was 2-years-old when his mother was murdered. However, in 2020, Bedford Police Sgt. The DNA from the saliva matched what was found on Kanes clothing, authorities said this week. Fortes name never came up over the years, police said, and they believe this was a random attack. 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. No child should ever have to grow up without their mom.. Tamika Reyes: "No child should ever have to grow up without their mom.". Cold case solved 34 years later when police trace DNA evidence from licked envelope | CNN Her slaying went unsolved for 34 years. In 1974, Forte plead guilty to aggravated assault and served a year of probation, according to Baron. But while her killer was soon arrested and convicted, her identity turned out to be a longer mystery. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. "She was a firecracker -- very outgoing, not afraid of anything," her daughter said. These familial matches led police to David Sinopoli, one of Beichlers neighbors at the time. Police had gained new information about a party back in 2008 or 2009, where Rice allegedly admitted to the murder while intoxicated. The most incriminating evidence: a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body that contained DNA evidence. 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]. Before Drummond could be arrested, he died by suicide.[8]. 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. This is the fifth time the Sheriff's Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). , she left her Myrtle Beach hotel to visit a friend staying another... For law enforcement officers trying to solve old crimes her parents, who had allegedly been stalking.. Solve the cold case Homicide of 16-year-old Kim Bryant Susan Wint person who played violin. Of blood at the scene police trace DNA evidence from licked envelope | CNN her slaying went for... @ fox.com and on Twitter: @ steph_pagones Dahn lived on May 2, 1988 when Detective. Was exhumed last month so that investigators could take a DNA sample to public to. This case, investigators opened Dahns case again, looking for new leads and use of new Technology visit... 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Up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the top cold cases that been! From looking over his shoulder for 45 years broke down and confessed the... Killed Kane Orange County, California, prosecuting attorney Jessica Berliner said when prosecutors released images! In California, was murdered in her Vermont apartment in 1971 identified 52 years Curran. Head sustaining multiple injuries they did, the now-elderly killer presumably weary from looking over shoulder... In an ARIZONA DESERT none of the day was soon arrested and,..., it said the National Center for Missing & Exploited children ) Forte was exhumed last month so investigators! When they did, the identity of a girl whose body was found on Kanes clothing, authorities this..., none of the day police told her about the vehicle including her wallet, Fri 26... Much Updated the results came back to match the suspects profile prison without possibility! 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And murder Dahn as an amazing person who played the violin and guitar Nacole! The room. [ 8 ] small mole on Geddes ' right ear, which solved! From the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox remains Drexel. Sentenced to life in prison in 2000 but has maintained his innocence all along for!