Recent groundbreaking technology has revolutionized the way law enforcement investigates cold cases and has led to breaks in dozens of previously unsolved cases in 2022 alone. . Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Greg Harder of the Elkhart County Police noticed a possible piece of DNA evidence that was missed. Sixteen-year-old Fawn Cox was killed in the bedroom of her home at 9 th and Van Brunt while the rest of the family slept on July 26, 1989. REYNOLDSBURG, OH A 45-year-old cold case has been solved in Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost and Reynoldsburg Police Chief Curtis Baker announced Wednesday. Johnny Blake Peterson (Photo: LVMPD) LVMPD announced they solved the cold case homicide involving 16 y/o Kim Bryant from 1979. Since its start in 1987 and end in 2010, and . Fortunately, Kadner had something to work with. I knew," Jeff Highsmith said. In 1971, the body of 17-year-old Maureen Brubaker Farley was found in a wooded area in Iowa (via Des Moines Register). She had been shot in the head, just as Bogle had been, but she had also been sexually assaulted. On March 25, 1975, Katherine and Sheila Lyon (aged 10 and 12 respectively) went missing while on a trip to the nearby mall. A man confessed to the crime shortly after. It's the first time this technique has been used to make an arrest in New York City. Nesson's family urged Reynoldsburg police to reexamine the cold case in August 2019. She told her family and friends that another soldier was sexually harassing her. Richard Cottingham, nicknamed the "Torso Killer" or "Times Square killer," allegedly admitted in December to killing five women on Long Island, New York, in the late 60s, early 70s. He continued to work on the Kalitzke/Bogle case even while handling the newer cases that were landing on his desk all the time, but he had a feeling that more was needed to get to the bottom of what had happened to the couple all those decades ago. Prisoner with a conscience helped St. Louis' cold-case unit cross one off the list. In November 2021, Joseph Martinez, 49, was arrested in her death after police possibly matched his DNA to semen found on Soriano's sweatshirt. "Based on sperm recovered from the body of Kim Bryant at autopsy revealed that Johnny Blake Peterson was the person who kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered Kim Bryant," Lt. Ray Spencer, LVMPD said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig). Due to a lack of physical evidence, however, this unknown man was acquitted of the crime. New DNA technology solves 31-year-old murder case As it happened, around this same time, Cates was in the hospital in North Carolina, and as Florida detectives were shoring up their case, Cates blurted out to a nurse that he had killed someone in Florida decades prior. 0. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Both men were freed in the early 1970s and are now connected to the deaths of Nesson and Adams. Roughly two weeks later, James received a phone call from Angela. The DNA was eventually matched to one Ray Chapa, who at the time of the murder was Loves 19-year-old neighbor. Refresh the page, check. All cases - Georgia Bureau of Investigation The boyfriend was . From there unraveled the solution to cold cases spanning decades-and the identity of a serial killer. 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. 4. These case files range from unsolved murders, missing people, and suspicious deaths, but they are all unsolved mysteries and disappearances overall. And she was ready to be back with her new husband. Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. 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. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. Her body was found in a field, but police never identified a suspect. Blood pooled around his misshapen head, with his neck and head sustaining multiple injuries. Baldwin County cold case solved after 22 years By Hal Scheurich Published: Apr. 10 Cold Cases Solved - Forensics Colleges Boeing Worker Claims $754.6M Powerball Jackpot, Barrier-Breaking Black Army Officer Finally Awarded Medal Of Honor, FL Blogging Bill Says Political Writers Should Register With State, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk], 7 Good News Stories: Sense Of Belonging; Secrets To 70-Year Marriage, 5 Best Instagram Spots In Northeast Ohio, Flowers, Rockefeller, Sun, 5 Fun Places To Swim In Ohio A Swimming Activity Of Every Kind. Cold case solved: Salina teen identified as Pecos Jane Doe - KSN-TV Her killer was the last person the family would have . Investigators tracked every lead they could, but the case grew cold. The next day, Angela was briefly reunited with her son. She was stabbed 19 times, and prosecutors say evidence at the scene suggested a sexual motive. Unfortunately, no substantial leads were obtained in the case, and Beichlers murder went cold. And they can know it's solved.". But James never saw or spoke with his recent bride ever again. officials say In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. Cold Cases - Crime Online . The police found four bodies in the usually tranquil park. SALT LAKE CITY Salt Lake City Police have solved a 42-year-old cold case. The Krusens would raise Mikey as their own. Most cold cases do not get solved, so it is still fairly a spectacular occurrence when one is. The DNA profile matched Eric Drummond. Recent Unsolved Murders 2021 On Uncovered's website, you can view over 100 real unsolved case files put together by our amazing community members. The Delphi Murders The cops never took their eye off of Drummond despite the fact that he left the state shortly after committing the crime, and when improved DNA technology allowed them to develop a sturdy profile of Smith's killer, they zeroed in on him in earnest. More than 260, to be specific. Going over the old case files, they zeroed in on Larry David Smith, who had been interviewed in connection with the slaying in 1973 but was never seriously considered a suspect. Prisoner with a conscience helped St. Louis' cold-case unit cross one Blood evidence believed to be the killers was found on the victims clothing but remained unidentified. By U.S. Army CID July 13, 2021. The technique is used to create family trees based on genetic similarities to hopefully lead back to the owner of the unknown sample. Due to these advances, police have been able to close the book on many cold case murders, all thanks to criminals who left a little DNA before they even knew it could get them caught. 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). In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. Genetic genealogy solves decades-old cold case - KMGH They were also connected to the kidnapping, assault and attempted murder of two other women in the northwest Ohio area. 1 of 2. She had just remarried when life began to spiral downward. Special Report: Killing of Eugene teens solved 44 years later Most cold cases do not get solved, soit is still fairly a spectacular occurrence when one is. SOLVED | Iowa Cold Cases While his identity was a major break in the case, police are still working to determine who killed Joseph and why. It's the oldest cold case solved in #MiramarPD history: Evelyn Marie Cold Cases Throughout the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked on the case to no avail. 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. But not always. A lengthy press release recounts a cast of characters, compounded tragedies, violence, and lies over the course of nearly two decades. Traci Rosenbaum/USA Today Network via Reuters Co. Using genealogy techniques, detectives discovered that the murderer had ancestral origins in the small Italian town of Gasperina, and that only a couple thousand people with such ties lived in the area at the time of the killing. There was also an arrest this year in the 1997 Michigan killing of 88-year-old Mary Prieur, according to M Live, with Michael Bur, now 41, charged with felony murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and kidnapping in the elderly woman's death. until you are in jail. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. 14 Creepy Missing Persons Cases That Were Eventually Solved. If you've ever thought that you may make a good homicide investigator, there is one important qualification (other than having an exceptionally strong stomach) that you should know about. 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. According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Highsmith family had just moved to the Fort Worth area, and Melissa's mother placed a local newspaper ad seeking a babysitter. Here are a dozen of the most stubbornly unresolved cold cases that were finally put to bed in 2022. Police said Josephs parents have since died, and no one claimed the child or reported him missing at the time his remains were discovered. At 6.30am on December 1, 1948, the body of an unknown man was discovered on Somerton Park beach, beginning one of Australia's . Clarence and Barbara Krusen got to know Angela and Mikey pretty well during this time period, however, and the three adults came to an ultimately abortive adoption agreement. It was only by surfeit of circumstance, terrible and banal, that led Mack-Cox and her son to Missouri in the first place. Legal Statement. 10 Oldest Cold Cases Ever Solved - Oldest.org "I am mourning my beautiful daughter Brittanee as I have for the past 13 years. She stated that an attorney had drawn up the paper and she and Clarence signed them, and Clarence took Angela to the attorneys office and got her signature on the papers prior to her leaving for California. On Good Friday of this year, Krusen took and failed a polygraph when asked about what happened to Angela and Mikey. . That left Angela and Mikey stranded in Alton, Missouri. playlist_add. or redistributed. She was last seen at a high school football game. He died in the hospital three days later, and his murder would become the oldest such unsolved crime in the history of the county, according to the New York Post. (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. Cold case team says Zodiac Killer ID'd, linking him to another murder Families deserve answers, even when years have passed since they lost their loved ones, Yost said. A Danby, Vermont couple, George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in September 1989. 25, 2022 at 9:15 PM PDT FOLEY, Ala. ( WALA) - Twenty-two years ago, a man's body was pulled from Styx River in. She stated while Angela was in Chowchilla California, she was working at a Burger King and she told Clarence that she had a change of heart, and did not want to go through with the adoption. Cold case team says it's ID'd Zodiac Killer. A double homicide of two teens in Montana has been solved after more than 60 years thanks to forensic genealogy. In December 1996, police stumbled upon a mystery fit for a detective novel. The case went cold after that. She was happy and apparently sounded like herself. Highsmith disappeared from Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 23, 1971, when she was just 21 months old. Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. Highsmith was only 21 months old when shewas kidnappedby a woman purporting to be a babysitter more than a half a century ago. Even older cases, in one instance going back to the late 1950s, were cracked around the country through the use of novel investigative techniques. He was immediately met with the daunting task of digitizing the expansive case file, an endeavor that took months. But it was only recently, when widow Barbara Krusenfailed a polygraph test administered by the FBI, that authorities say they were finally able to sift fact away from fiction, subterfuge, rumor, and doubt. When the officers arrived on the scene, they found the body of . Smith died in 2013 at the age of 94. 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. According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. ST. LUCIE COUNTY A more than 30-year-old cold case homicide involving a stormy relationship and shotgun blasts has been solved as a DNA match allowed St. Lucie County sheriff's investigators . Five People That Have Become Cold Cases in 2021 - Medium When two officers approached him, he shot them to death. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. Both mother and son were quickly murdered after that. "Boy in the Box" identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli. In 2017, the sheriff's office reopened its investigation, and in early 2021, the Texas Rangers Unsolved Crimes . A gruesome double homicide opened the year of 1956 in Great Falls, Montana. They asked for the family's help in either proving or disproving that Gould was the man responsible and the family complied. These familial matches led police to David Sinopoli, one of Beichlers neighbors at the time. 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. feb 12, 2021. case closed- mountain view police identify suspect in 1990 cold case. Five People That Have Become Cold Cases in 2021 | by Natasha Mullins | The Mystery Box | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. Wise died in a car crash in 1999, but that fact did nothing to diminish the power of the statement given by the FBI's Atlanta office in the wake of the resolution of the case. No one knew he was the killer until 2003, when a new FBI national database matched his fingerprints to those found at the scene almost half. 10 Famous Cold Cases That Could Be Solved In 2021 - Listverse The difficulty lay in the fact that not only was the available DNA evidence too weak to pinpoint a suspect, but, at the time, the victim herself was also unidentified. 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. . According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. He spent 10 years in the Ohio Penitentiary, where he met Weber, a fellow inmate. Johnathan Grossman works alongside Denmark, and in 2021 their unit closed 16 cold cases, the most in years, including the 1966 murder of 17-year-old Daniel Goldman. 10 Decades-Old Cold Case Murders Solved with DNA - Listverse Investigators agreed and asked the Franklin County Coroner's office to again evaluate the 15-year-old's autopsy. Emailus. 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. 10 Famous Cold Cases That Could Be Solved In 2021 by Cheish Merryweather fact checked by Jamie Frater In the late 70s, the Golden State Killer launched a reign of terror that terrified residents in California. He called it "a reverse family tree. The case would remain cold for 45 years. A double homicide of two teens in Montana has been solved after more than 60 years thanks to forensic genealogy. Their killings went unsolved until this week when investigators announced they had cracked what is believed to be the oldest case solved with DNA and forensic genealogy. 1. 2 cold cases solved, 3 arrested in Union County, officials say - WYFF After being interviewed by troopers in his Arkansas home in early August 2020, Branch died by suicide. You'll see how forensics techniques help to bring closure to many cases, but also how, occasionally, other things propel a case toward resolution. Cold Case Solved: Widow Says Her Late Husband Killed and Incinerated . Sep 15, 2021. 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. As we've seen, DNA technology is growing by leaps and bounds every year and while no workable DNA profile could be created at that time, it was a different story just seven years later. Hall's daughter, happy to finally have closure, had a message for those facing the unsolved murder of a loved one: "Please don't give up.