FOLEY, Ala. ( WALA) - Twenty-two years ago, a man's body was pulled from Styx River in . In the 36 years since, the case was passed to many detectives, all to no avail. "Let this serve as a warning to every murderer, rapist, and violent offender out there," said Keri Farley, special agent in charge of the investigation. Police were hoping this was the break in the case they needed, but the DNA didnt return any matches. 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. He spent two decades in prison for church murders. On March 18, 1964, Chiverella left her house to walk to school. 2 min; DEC 14, 2022; 3 YEAR OLD COLD CASE SOLVED Elkhart County, Indiana, is where, in May 2002, Robert Reed was found robbed and murdered inside his residence. It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old. Nathan Trate said at the news conference. Reyes still has so many questions shed ask Grim if he was still alive. Four-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarellis remains were discovered inside a box and abandoned in Philadelphias Fox Chase neighborhood Feb. 25, 1957. 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. Jeff Highsmith, Melissas younger brother, said his family had undergone tests through genealogy service 23andMe and received the results on Nov. 22 showing there was a match with Melissas kids. It may take years or even decades, but we continually seek justice for victims and their families.". In April of that year, their 17-year-old daughter Brittanee took off for spring break, without her parents' permission, to Myrtle Beach, Florida, and never came home (via Democrat & Chronicle). Thanks to these samples, a number of high-profile crimes have been solved in the past few years, perhaps most notably the arrest and conviction of the Golden State Killer. In addition to providing closure for the families and friends of the victims, every closed cold case serves another important purpose: Letting those who commit murder know that homicide investigators are the Terminators of law enforcement, and that (to paraphrase Kyle Reese) they will not stop EVER! 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. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. Dennis Perry, center, standing beside wife Brenda Perry gets emotional while thanking the team from the Georgia Innocence Project after they worked to get his release after 20 years behind bars, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Nicholls, Ga. Reyes knows shell never get the answers. By. The circumstances around what led up to her death remain a mystery, 34 years later -- but DNA evidence points to her killer. 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. (NCMEC/ Highsmith family Facebook page). All Rights Reserved. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Most cold cases do not get solved, so it is still fairly a spectacular occurrence when one is. In addition, forensic genetic genealogy has given back the names of Jane and John Does who had remained unidentified for decades. Rita Curran was violently murdered in her Vermont apartment in 1971 - and the case remained a mystery for decades. 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. A photo of 20-year old Eve Wilkowitz from Project: Cold Case. The family reunited with Melissa, who now goes by Melanie, in Texas on the night of Thanksgiving and learned that she had grown up just minutes from where she was taken. Both families tried to report the couple missing, but were told by authorities that they probably didn't want to be contacted. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. But in a Tuesday news conference, the Burlington Police Department announced that Curran's case was solved and the man responsible for the 24-year-old's murder, William DeRoos, died years ago. Trieb said in a report that his team determined forensic evidence would be key to solving the case because of its age. As for the moniker "Little Miss Nobody," Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes had only one succinct comment: "I hope we never hear that name again. 2. However, in 2020, Bedford Police Sgt. 2023 Cable News Network. According to Mosby, the clothes had never been tested, and DNA evidence confirmed that Syed was not involved in his girlfriend's murder. Throughout the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked on the case to no avail. We have so many precious memories of Marise. She was loved. 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. Family members who knew Dahn described her as a goofy, funny person who loved to draw qualities Beyer said, he too, has within him. We live in an era of incredible technology: cars, computers, and even robots. Beyer said he was blown away when he heard how his mothers case had finally been solved. There was just intimate details about where she was disposed of, how her clothes were displayed, stuff like that, Womer said. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. CeCe Moore, scientist and genealogy expert at Parabon Nanolabs, was able to match the DNA to William DeRoos within hours of research through genealogical records and public records. Fortunately, the profession seems to attract those who have this quality, as proven by the many decades-old cases which finally see their resolutions every single year. She was more than that, she was a victim. appreciated. Rita Curran was a 24-year-old second grade teacher when she was violently murdered in her Burlington apartment in July 1971. Highsmiths mother gave her the job. 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. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I was happy to finally put a face behind the monster who took her from us, (and) upset that he will never be able to face consequences.. 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. "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.". It didn't take long - in June of 2022, Holly was found alive, living in Oklahoma, after she'd been adopted as an infant. Curran's case was put on the back burner for years, making it the oldest cold case in the department. Through that, police were able the get their first genealogical match: a very distant relative, possibly a 6th cousin, according to Brutosky. She was murdered around midnight on July 19 and was found strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted. Over 230. Witness testimony and even the confession of an alleged victim brought varying levels of closure to unsolved crimes. "She was a firecracker -- very outgoing, not afraid of anything," her daughter said. Warren Robertson was Diane Lynn Dahn's neighbor inside the same apartment complex in San Diego, California in 1988. "The DNA evidence ended up being so incredibly key," Moore said. Now that they have identified Grims DNA, police will review other open cold cases to see if he was involved, Womer said. Beichlers case was revived in 2019 when prosecutors released composite images of a man whose DNA was supposedly left at the scene. This is the fifth time the Sheriff's Homicide Unit has used investigative genetic genealogy to solve a cold case. A Danby, Vermont couple, George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in September 1989. Jon Kadner sent DNA swabs from Kalitzkes sexual assault to forensic genealogists at Bode Technology. One March day in 1983, she turned down a stranger's request for a date and a short time later, her body was pulled from a nearby river (pictured), shocking what was at the time a cozy, tight-knit community, according to the Los Angeles Times. 50-year-old triple homicide cold case solved after tip leads to Dixie Mafia, Colorado police solve four decades-old homicide cold cases with DNA from exhumed killer. 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. Mark Baron. In 1974, Forte plead guilty to aggravated assault and served a year of probation, according to Baron. She also enjoyed playing the organ. She was last seen alive around 8:10 a.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. Cold case murder that inspired 'Twin Peaks' solved 100 years later: Book By Caroline Howe January 1, 2022 7:25am Updated After five years of research, a pair of "Twin Peaks" fans claim they. She also said DeRoos strangled her once, the same way Curran died. The first case is of Roxanne Leigh Wood from 1987, which was solved in March 2022, after. I went to the streets. An undated image of Sharon Gallegos. But years turned into decades, and police still didnt know who the suspect was. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Stacy Falcon-Dewey, 23, and her 3-year-old son, Jacob Dewey, were found shot dead on October 28, 1994, in Renton, Washington. (Jeff Highsmith). Fortes DNA was a match to genetic material found on the victims jacket.[7]. She was strangled in 1988. Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. The prior DNA connection between the suspect and swabs taken from Falcon-Dewey was also confirmed, it said. This entry is one of the coldest cases to be solved in the U.S. in recent years. She was a firecracker very outgoing, not afraid of anything, very honest, blunt and caring, she 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. The man behind the abduction, rape and death of upstate New York teenager Brittanee Drexel pleaded guilty in October to a case that went cold after the 17-year-olds disappearance during spring break 2009. Mr. On Tuesday,. 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. I traveled the world as a photographer. At the same time our family will always feel the emptiness and the sorrow of her absence, said Carmen Marie Radtke, Marises sister, during the news conference. The crime scene outside of the apartment complex where both Robertson and Dahn lived on May 2, 1988. No one deserves what happened to her.. If convicted, Jones would face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the documents said. While Chapa died in 2021, just nine months before being identified, police and the FBI are looking into the possibility that Chapa is connected to other crimes in other states.[4]. I worked the streets.". 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. Jones is currently imprisoned for murdering a man in 1995 in California, prosecuting attorney Jessica Berliner said. 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. The case was revived in 2021 when Sgt. Police said Josephs parents have since died, and no one claimed the child or reported him missing at the time his remains were discovered. In a statement, the Fairfax County Sheriff's Department thanked "several generations of FCPD detectives" along with Othram, the company that supplied the genome sequencing technology and expressed its conviction that said the technology will help them to resolve many more unsolved cases in the future. Meanwhile, Reyes still misses her mother. Over the subsequent years, additional evidence was submitted for DNA testing and a significant advance was made in December 2021 when DNA traces linked to Jones were found on a jacket worn by Jacob Dewey at the time of his killing, the document said. 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. 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. What is everyone talking about? Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones. JonBenet Ramsey cold case: DNA expert explains how mystery might be solved in short order CeCe Moore is the chief genetic genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based DNA tech firm Moody confessed and led investigators to Brittanee's remains, but his belated cooperation did nothing to keep the entire book from getting thrown at him in court. Nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in March 1964 when she was kidnapped. The DNA was eventually matched to one Ray Chapa, who at the time of the murder was Loves 19-year-old neighbor. Investigators analyzed Kanes clothing and found traces of an unknown mans DNA. Published: Apr. The gun used in the killings has not been recovered. Follow reporterLilly St. Angelo onTwitter: @lilly_st_ang. NEW YORK TEEN BRITTANEE DREXEL SENT EERIE TEXTS TO BOYFRIEND BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE, DEATH: REPORT. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. In late March 1983, the body of Joette Smith was found floating in the San Lorenzo River. COLD CASED SOLVED Once again, as with high-profile cases like the Golden State Killer murders and the Bear Brooke murders, the guys and gals at Parabon NanoLabs have uncovered the perpetrator in another cold case. Due to a lack of physical evidence, however, this unknown man was acquitted of the crime. ' It turned out that during her life, the young woman had used a number of aliases, including Kelly Carr, Sharon Wiley, Cheryl Wick, and Mercedes. appreciated. 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