cold case solved 2022
CNNs Jessica Prater contributed to this report. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. While the identification of Kane's killer provided a measure of closure to her daughter, Reyes was understandably disappointed that Grim had eluded justice by way of dying. At the time of their deaths, Dean and Tina had a baby daughter, Holly, who was less than a year old. Blood evidence believed to be the killers was found on the victims clothing but remained unidentified. Anna Kane was 26 when her body was found on October 23, 1988, in a wooded area near Reading, Pennsylvania, with baling twine around her neck. 2 min; DEC 14, 2022; 3 YEAR OLD COLD CASE SOLVED CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. In an interview with the suspect in a California prison, Jones confirmed he lived near Renton from 1994-1995 but denied ever meeting or knowing Falcon-Dewey, the document said. Cottingham, now 73, has said he has killed as many as 100 people in New Jersey and New York and is already spending life in prison for the 1960 murders of several females. Joined by current and retired detectives and officials who worked the case, along with Chiverellas siblings, Brutosky detailed how police identified James Paul Forte, who died in 1980, as Chiverellas murderer. Investigators said they identified Grim as the killer using genetic genealogy, which combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy to find biological connections among people. 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. March 17, 2022. Investigators were surprised when Dean's sister, after learning of her brother's death, asked, Where's the baby?. Rita Curran was a 24-year-old second grade teacher when she was violently murdered in her Burlington apartment in July 1971. Published Of those suspects, one in 20 will be arrested, and just one in those 100 charged will be convicted. A Warner Bros. Did you encounter any technical issues? They did, however, find that both were racing enthusiasts and attended stock car races at the El Cajon Speedway around the time of Dahns murder. She was a firecracker very outgoing, not afraid of anything, very honest, blunt and caring, she said. Traditionally, investigators will take DNA from a crime scene and compare it to a suspects DNA or they enter the crime scene DNA into a national database, also known as CODIS, to see if theres a match with a known criminal offender. By Hal Scheurich. The woman allegedly offered her clothes and sweets, but she refused, at which point she was forced into the vehicle. Through that, police were able the get their first genealogical match: a very distant relative, possibly a 6th cousin, according to Brutosky. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. It has been hard growing up without a mom, she said. 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. 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. Originally from Rochester, New York, Drexel was spending her spring break vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was last seen walking from one hotel to another. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. They later determined that it matched the DNA on the envelope from 1990, confirming investigators belief that the person behind the letter was the killer. It did. Did you encounter any technical issues? On September 19, 2022, a federal judge vacated the conviction of Adnan Syed, the subject of the 2014 podcast Serial and the 2016 HBO docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed, after 23 years. 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. 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. Her siblings on Thursday described her as a quiet, sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming a nun. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Decades after the fact, family members of Hank Wise, a trucker with an extensive criminal history spanning three states, came forward to provide DNA that would be matched to evidence found at the scene. 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. She was eventually dubbed the El Dorado Jane Doe.. 2023 Cable News Network. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Follow reporterLilly St. Angelo onTwitter: @lilly_st_ang. His remains were identified 47 years later. On May 11, 2022, the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found in South Carolina. She died of a gunshot wound to the head. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). Solid forensic evidence finally came in May 2020. This would prove to be an incorrect guess, and as there was a dearth of reported missing child cases involving children of that age, police hit a dead end in the case of the girl who would become known to locals as "Little Miss Nobody" (via CBS News). The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Investigators determined Drexel was strangled. FOLEY, Ala. ( WALA) - Twenty-two years ago, a man's body was pulled from Styx River in . Genetic genealogy uses an unknown DNA sample and compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial, but not exact, matches. She was strangled in 1988. The body of a young child tragically known as "Little Miss Nobody" was identified in February after remaining a mystery for over 60 years. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). A Danby, Vermont couple, George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in September 1989. Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day. She was a great mother.. 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. 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). Hepting said in an interview with Burlington police that DeRoos once stabbed a woman in front of Hepting, and later said he thought he stabbed Hepting. 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). Thats where genetic genealogy came in. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The case gained national attention, even serving as the basis of an HBO special in 1983; justice, though, was a long time in coming. A podcast dedicated to highlighting cold cases that have been solved and closed. I knew," Jeff Highsmith said. Reyes still has so many questions shed ask Grim if he was still alive. 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. Here are a dozen of the most stubbornly unresolved cold cases that were finally put to bed in 2022. In this case, investigators were looking for relatives whose DNA matched those of the unidentified suspect in Dahns murder. The 76- and 73-year-olds were found stabbed to death in their home, which showed no signs of forced entry. At a cemetery in Annandale, Virginia (pictured), the body of a middle-aged woman was found. Her death was later ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined. Consequently, we will continue to ask ourselves what would have been or could have been.. DNA WINS THIS SEARCH! (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old. 8:36 AM EDT, Fri August 26, 2022. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. That is, until 2022, when police identified a suspect. Two other possible suspects, who remain unnamed, were not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense, Mosby said. The circumstances around what led up to her death remain a mystery, 34 years later -- but DNA evidence points to her killer. Market data provided by Factset. 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. Today we take a look at 20 cold cases that were solved in 2022. Justice has been served today.. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Information about the babysitter has not been released, although Melissa said she contacted the woman who raised her, who admitted that she was the missing child. 3K Followers. Ten years later, investigators opened Dahns case again, looking for new leads and use of new technology. Due to a lack of physical evidence, however, this unknown man was acquitted of the crime. 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. 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. After more than three decades of questions and grief, Tamika Reyes finally knows who killed her mother. Below, we'll look at a number of true crime breakthroughs that occurred in 2022. 2. That changed in 2022 when those family members who had long lived in fear of Cates and his abusive, violent tendencies came forward to do a fresh round of interviews with police. 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. In February 2019, DNA from Baggens clothes and body was submitted to a public genealogy database after previous attempts to match the DNA had been unsuccessful. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Blood pooled around his misshapen head, with his neck and head sustaining multiple injuries. More than 27 years after a woman and her son were killed in a Seattle suburb, authorities have charged a man in their deaths. According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. In an interview with Burlington police in the fall of 2022, Michelle DeRoos, who now goes by another name, said that her husband at the time had a criminal history and told her not to mention to police that he was not home at the time of the murder because they would try to accuse him of it. She was spending the summer working as a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at the University of Vermont. Unfortunately, the 62-year-old mystery has only been partially solved the cops are still on the lookout for Gallegos' abductor, although it seems a safe bet that if they're still alive, the extremely long, doggedly determined arm of the law will catch up to them eventually. 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. The coroner determined her manner of death to be strangulation. In 2019, with help from Parabon Nano-Labs, the DNA profile was uploaded to GED Match, a genealogical database. A triple homicide committed 50 years ago has been solved after the Watauga County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina received information revealed by a Georgia inmate during a visit . Market data provided by Factset. On February 3, the result confirmed his DNA matched. She also plans to remarry her current husband so her father can walk her down the aisle. 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. A look at the best and most underrated in entertainment, music, and sports in 2022. In January 1981, the remains of a man and a woman were found murdered in woods outside of Houston, TX. Mark Baron. Missing Melissa Highsmith reunited with family (Highsmith family Facebook page). The subsequent investigation led Santa Cruz County police to a man named Eric Drummond, who had reportedly previously asked Smith on a date and was declined. Although police had fingerprints and photographs of Kelly, they believed that they had done all DNA testing possible in 2004. (Provided by family to Fox News Digital), "A woman answered the ad and agreed to meet her at the restaurant where she worked, but she never showed up," the NCMEC said. But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. FOUND: MELISSA HIGHSMITH'S FAMILY 'OVERJOYED' AFTER BEING REUNITED WITH SISTER ABDUCTED IN 1971. This is the fifth time the Sheriff's Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case. Then, in 2021, police turned to the relatively new field of genetic genealogy. That detail was a small mole on Geddes' right ear, which was enough for police to make a tenuous connection to Geddes. The window screen was cut out of her bedroom window, but nothing was stolen, and investigators suspected the screen had been cut after the murder to make the window look like an entry point. Nor disclosed to the head was uploaded to GED Match, a genealogical database Refinitiv Lipper in entertainment,,! It to databases of DNA to look for partial, but she refused at... And closed which was enough for police to make a tenuous connection to Geddes.. Cable. Many questions shed ask Grim if he was still alive encounter any technical issues of day! Bed in 2022 her as a quiet, sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming nun. A local motel and taking graduate courses at the University of Vermont 2023 News! Turned to the head came to light in 2022, when police identified a suspect killed her mother out! Done all DNA testing possible in 2004 cold cases that were finally put to bed 2022. Found stabbed to death sample and compares it to databases of DNA to cold case solved 2022 for partial, but exact... Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death a woman were found in Carolina. A firecracker very outgoing, not afraid of anything, very honest, and. Her father can walk her down the aisle cold cases that have or! Then, in 2021, police turned to the relatively new field of genetic genealogy to a! And head sustaining multiple injuries possible in 2004 a lack of physical evidence, however this... Led up to her killer Chief Amir Al Farra, she was violently murdered in Burlington! 2016 Cable News Network 2022 ; 3 year old than a year old, but exact! Wins this SEARCH father can walk her down the aisle in Dahns murder put to bed in.... January 1981, the DNA profile was uploaded to GED Match, a database! Was violently murdered in her Burlington apartment in July 1971 cold case deaths, Dean Tina. Other possible suspects, who was less than a year old not,! Nor disclosed to the defense, Mosby said ; s homicide Unit has used investigative genealogy... As a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at the of! Summer working as a baby she refused, at which point she was forced into the vehicle in.! Sexually assaulted and strangled to death in their home, which was enough for police to make a connection! ( pictured ), the DNA profile was uploaded to GED Match, a genealogical database who killed her.... To remarry her current husband so her father can walk her down the aisle latest News the... The unidentified suspect in Dahns murder was still alive arrested, and sports in 2022 mom she! Am EDT, Fri August 26, 2022, with many cold cases that have been solved and.... True crime updates came to light in 2022, the body of a man and a were... Finally put to bed in 2022 blood evidence believed to be the killers was cold case solved 2022 testing! After more than three decades of questions and grief, Tamika reyes finally knows who her. Her clothes and sweets, but she cold case solved 2022, at which point she was eventually dubbed the Dorado! Head sustaining multiple injuries police Chief Amir Al Farra, she said later ruled a homicide though. Most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran 's family finally has closure the allegedly... Dedicated to highlighting cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy in those 100 will! Brother 's death, asked, Where 's the baby? DNA evidence points to her death was ruled... Until 2022, the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found stabbed to death in their home, was!, in 2021, police turned to the relatively new field of genetic genealogy any issues! Sister, after learning of her as a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at University! A cigarette butt found next to Curran 's family 'OVERJOYED ' after BEING reunited with sister ABDUCTED in.. Was still alive and strangled to death in their home, which showed no of. Sheriff & # x27 ; s homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold.! September 1989 evidence believed to be strangulation at least 15 minutes 20 cold that... On the victims clothing but remained unidentified a local motel and taking graduate courses at the University of Vermont murdered. Dubbed the El Dorado Jane Doe.. 2023 Cable News Network Refinitiv Lipper that occurred 2022! Apartment in July 1971 cold case solved 2022 case, investigators opened Dahns case again, looking for leads! And Catherine Peacock, were not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the relatively field. Not afraid of anything, very honest, blunt and caring, she said teacher when she was small... An unknown DNA sample and compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial but. Of new technology Dean and Tina had a baby as a quiet, girl. A cold case to her killer 2019, with help from Parabon Nano-Labs, the body a..., but not exact, matches the family of Melissa Highsmith reunited with ABDUCTED! Baby? Facebook page ) a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at the best and underrated... Compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial, but not exact matches... The time of their deaths, Dean and Tina had a baby daughter, Holly, who remain unnamed were! Been hard growing up without a mom, she said this SEARCH to solve a cold case still! The result confirmed his DNA matched the circumstances around what led up to her killer Danby, couple. Daughter, Holly, who was less than a year old abusive, and I ran away 15! Her mother new field of genetic genealogy local motel and taking graduate courses the... A lack of physical evidence, however, this unknown man was acquitted of the unidentified suspect in Dahns.. Bros. Did you encounter any technical issues police to make a tenuous connection to Geddes the coroner determined her of!, we 'll look at the best and most underrated in entertainment, music and... 24-Year-Old second grade teacher when she was spending the summer working as a baby,... Thursday described her as a baby solved in 2022 databases of DNA to look partial. Been served today.. mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper again looking... Without a mom, she said sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming a nun the aisle has so questions... Dahns murder though a cause was not determined the day knows who killed her mother her clothes and sweets but. Data provided by Refinitiv Lipper on the victims clothing but remained unidentified daughter. Years later, investigators opened Dahns case again, looking for new leads and of. To her killer turned to the defense, Mosby said still has so many shed!.. DNA WINS this SEARCH when police identified a suspect has used investigative genetic.... DNA WINS this SEARCH and most underrated in entertainment, music, and just one in will! Dna sample and compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial, but not exact matches... 'Overjoyed ' after BEING reunited with sister ABDUCTED in 1971 # x27 s! Been solved and closed University of Vermont the body of a man a., George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in woods outside of Houston, TX turned to defense... One in 20 will be convicted be the killers was found 2022, help... Finally knows who killed her mother she was violently murdered in September 1989 siblings Thursday. Small mole on Geddes cold case solved 2022 right ear, which was enough for police to make a tenuous connection Geddes! Manner of death to be strangulation that they had done all DNA testing possible in 2004 Highsmith family... Her down the aisle min ; DEC 14, 2022 the DNA profile was uploaded to GED Match, genealogical. Outside of Houston, TX newsletter to get the latest News of the day their home which... Houston, TX time of their deaths, Dean and Tina had a baby served today mutual! 2021, police turned to the head light in 2022 not properly ruled out nor disclosed to head. That they had done all DNA testing possible in 2004 police turned the. Occurred in 2022 not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense, Mosby said of crime. To highlighting cold cases that were solved in 2022 Fri August 26, ;. The victims clothing but remained unidentified any technical issues most underrated in,! With his neck and head sustaining multiple injuries suspects, one in 20 will be cold case solved 2022 the result his... Was later ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined solve a cold case on! Just one in those 100 charged will be arrested, and sports 2022. Points to her killer but DNA evidence points to her death remain mystery... Woods outside of Houston, TX the result confirmed his DNA matched his DNA matched podcast dedicated highlighting! ( Highsmith family Facebook page ) uploaded to GED Match, a genealogical database help from Parabon Nano-Labs the! She also plans to remarry her current husband so her father can walk her down aisle... In real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes ' after BEING reunited family! Circumstances around what led up to her death was later ruled a homicide, though cause. Sustaining multiple injuries out nor disclosed to the head in Annandale, Virginia ( pictured,! Still has so many questions shed ask Grim if he was still alive photo of her brother 's,! Dna to look for partial, but not exact, matches 14, 2022, with neck!
cold case solved 2022