Lee had disappeared and her body was found several weeks later, strangled. I knew," Jeff Highsmith said. Cold case solved 34 years later when police trace DNA evidence from licked envelope | CNN Her slaying went unsolved for 34 years. Surveillance footage showed Drexel leaving her friend's hotel that night, but never returning to her own. The team has. The case went cold. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in March 1964 when she was kidnapped. 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. 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. He was identified as a suspect five years after Smith was found, but with no physical evidence to tie him to the murder, he was never arrested. DNA WINS THIS SEARCH! A photo of 20-year old Eve Wilkowitz from Project: Cold Case. We were fortunate enough to have most of the related family cooperate and provide us their DNA samples.. Most cold cases do not get solved, so it is still fairly a spectacular occurrence when one is. Louise was eventually arrested for the double homicide in 2022.[3]. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. The suspects profile was created and uploaded into commercial genealogy sites that allow law enforcement agencies to participate, police said. The more than four decades old homicide case of Wilkowitz has finally been solved and the identity of the killer is now known, Suffolk . This time, it wasn't advances in DNA technology that helped crack the case, but in technology of a different sort: GPS. 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. Jon Kadner sent DNA swabs from Kalitzkes sexual assault to forensic genealogists at Bode Technology. Rita Curran was murdered in her Burlington apartment in 1971, and the case remained a mystery for years. 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. Eventually, direct relatives of Robertson gave their DNA samples and confirmed his identification and matched the hair strand that was found in Dahns hands. By Hal Scheurich. Schubert, only 18 at the time, had assisted other police departments on several cold cases. The young mother and dance instructors own father discovered her remains brutally beaten, duct taped and sexually assaulted in her vehicle parked outside the mall. A gruesome double homicide opened the year of 1956 in Great Falls, Montana. On May 11, 2022, the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found in South Carolina. officials say, The Case of Patricia and Duane (Solved after 65 years) The Oldest Case Solved by Genetic Genealogy, Police arrest New York man in Vermont cold case killings, Thankful She Wasnt Forgotten, Family Of Murder Victim Janet Love Gets Closure 35 Years Later, 30 Year Old Cold Case Finally Solved | Ep. until you are in jail. 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 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. In March 2022, 15 years after Knutson's murder, police arrested Rice (34 at the time) for the murder. In May 2020, investigators started using investigative genetic genealogy, which combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy, to find biological connection between people. 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. A strand of hair that was found in Dahns hand was processed, a profile in CODIS was created, but it didnt produce any leads even though it was consistent with the sample found underneath her fingernails. 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. 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. The main problem with positively identifying her was the fact that her fingertips had been cut off, and entreaties to the public for help yielded nothing, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. ' 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. NEW YORK TEEN BRITTANEE DREXEL SENT EERIE TEXTS TO BOYFRIEND BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE, DEATH: REPORT. This, combined with re-interviewing witnesses and reviewing statements, led investigators to finally gather enough evidence for an arrest. "We determine if someone is missing and if someone is missing with a vehicle. "They weren't going to bring Rita Curran back but they could at least bring closure," he said in an interview after the news conference. But shes glad her family finally knows her mothers killer. Family members who knew Dahn described her as a goofy, funny person who loved to draw qualities Beyer said, he too, has within him. TheYavapai County Sheriff's Office said witnesses reported that a man, woman and child approached Sharon in a dark green sedan. Then Reyes got a call last week from a detective about a stunning development in the case. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Jessica Baggen, a 17-year-old from Sitka, Alaska, disappeared in early May 1996. Investigators said the biggest breakthrough in the case happened this year after they obtained a new sample of Grims DNA to compare with the older evidence. 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. The most incriminating evidence: a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body that contained DNA evidence. It did. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. We share these cases to highlight their resolution and bring closure to the victims and the community . In this video, we are going to talk about cold cases that were solved in 2022, after decades. Throughout the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked on the case to no avail. The 1980 murder of Asenath Dukat was one that shook the Columbus, Ohio community for a simple reason. On October 11, 2022, Marilyn Mosby announced that all charges had been dropped against Syed due to advanced DNA testing on Lee's clothing. Today we take a look at 20 cold cases that were solved in 2022. 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. 1980s cold case murders solved, O.C. Highsmiths mother gave her the job. Did you encounter any technical issues? While initial tests done previously on the blood were inconclusive, advances in DNA testing allowed for the blood to be positively identified as belonging to George Peacock. 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. 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. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP). Like so many other cold cases, the eventual identification of the killer hinged on one thing: The collection of DNA evidence at the scene of the murder, and its careful preservation. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. As the months and years pass by, these families live in a . Upon further testing, Loves blood was found to be mixed in with other samples of Reeds blood taken from the scene of the murder. Police theorized that the killing may have been part of a pattern of attempted child abductions going on at the time, and over the years following, they investigated a slew of potential suspects, even resorting to the not-so-solid technique of hypnotizing subjects in their attempts to elicit a confession. It didn't take long - in June of 2022, Holly was found alive, living in Oklahoma, after she'd been adopted as an infant. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Also known as investigative genetic genealogy, this relatively new practice involves finding criminals via companies that collect consumer DNA samples for genealogy purposes. That heartbreaking nickname was retired forever in 2022, thanks to DNA retrieved from the little girl's remains in 2015. But, after 52 years, Curran's family finally has closure. But while her killer was soon arrested and convicted, her identity turned out to be a longer mystery. All of that stuff was preserved the way it should be, because they knew probably somewhere down the line whatever they collected could be that little piece of evidence (to solve the case), Trate said. 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. Despite the abundance of blood at the scene, none of the DNA could be conclusively linked to anyone other than the victim. Beichlers case was revived in 2019 when prosecutors released composite images of a man whose DNA was supposedly left at the scene. 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. Police were hoping this was the break in the case they needed, but the DNA didnt return any matches. It also did not match the known DNA of the police's 13 main suspects. Nadine Madger was a Willoughby, Ohio, woman who was found murdered in January 1980. But it wasn't until 2022 that, you guessed it, advances in DNA technology finally allowed authorities to use an imperfect DNA profile to identify the victim as Dawn Olanick, whom it is believed Kinlaw murdered when she resisted his attempt to coerce her into prostitution. Melissa's sister, Sharon Highsmith, wrote on Facebook: Our finding Melissa was purely because of DNA, not because of any police/FBI involvement, podcast involvement, or even our familys own private investigations or speculations. "We came into this like we come into all cases," AWP diver Doug Bishop explained. Consequently, we will continue to ask ourselves what would have been or could have been.. In 1978, he was arrested for recklessly endangering and harassment, 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.". Elkhart County, Indiana, is where, in May 2002, Robert Reed was found robbed and murdered inside his residence. Curran had just moved out of her parents' home for the first time to live in a house with three other roommates, whom she didn't know well. Warren Robertson was Diane Lynn Dahn's neighbor inside the same apartment complex in San Diego, California in 1988. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Cold Cases We Were Surprised And Relieved To See Finally Solved Rima Pundir February 23, 2022 2.9k votes 606 voters 31.4k views List Rules Vote up all the cold cases that were closed in unexpected ways. The case was revived in 2020 with new DNA technology and the help of Eric Schubert, an expert in genetic genealogy. Forte you would need to search over 4 million planet earths.. You know you have family, you know you have family who loves you, but sometimes you do feel alone all the time.. Published 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. DEC 21, 2022; DNA LEADS TO IDENTITY OF COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM DNA LEADS TO IDENTITY OF COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM. NYC 'TORSO KILLER PLEADS GUILTY TO 1968 MURDER OF LONG ISLAND WOMAN DIANE CUSICK, ADMITS TO KILLING 4 OTHERS. She was found two days later, sexually assaulted and strangled. A match was made, confirming Edward Geddes as the murderer and giving a modicum of closure to the family of Lina Reyes Geddes, who for 20 years had been known to Utah law enforcement only as the "Maidenwater victim," after the area in which she was found. 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. Dahn had been bludgeoned and stabbed, according to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department. 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. In 2020, genealogist Eric Schubert contacted the state police offering to help free of charge and lend his unique skill set of tracing down family trees to find matches. Police had gained new information about a party back in 2008 or 2009, where Rice allegedly admitted to the murder while intoxicated. After more than 25 years, she was finally identified as Joyce Meyer, a woman who had drifted apart from her family after moving to Virginia in the mid-'80s. Fortes DNA was a match to genetic material found on the victims jacket.[7]. Anna Kane. The police don't give up.". Investigators analyzed Kanes clothing and found traces of an unknown mans DNA. Authorities believe that Drexel's remains were buried on April 26, 2009, just one day after she was abducted. 'Help me find my children': How race affects social media efforts to find missing kids. According to NPR, the investigation into the crime went nowhere for decades, until the resolution of a cold case in a nearby county prompted investigators to use blood evidence from the scene to attempt to whittle down their suspect list. 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. The family did not see Melissa for decades until November. Online records show he is not eligible for parole in that state until 2030. 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. Soon after the murder, William DeRoos left his then-wife, moved to Thailand and became a monk. It has been hard growing up without a mom, she said. (The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children). If convicted, Jones would face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, the documents said. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. So far, theyve found no ties. Her body was located more than 13 years later, in May of this year, about 35 miles from where she disappeared, officials have said. Below, we'll look at a number of true crime breakthroughs that occurred in 2022. Many questions still remain about the case, but Holly has reportedly been in contact with her newfound family members. Now Reyes finally has some answers although shes sad for her grandmother, who died before learning the case was solved. His remains were identified 47 years later. Because Forte had been dead since 1980, DNA was taken from his exhumed body. Curran's case was put on the back burner for years, making it the oldest cold case in the department. Crimes have become much easier to solve if DNA is present. Nathan Trate said at the news conference. In late March 1983, the body of Joette Smith was found floating in the San Lorenzo River. 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. 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. "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.". or redistributed. A look at the best and most underrated in entertainment, music, and sports in 2022. officials say In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. She also enjoyed playing the organ. She was more than that, she was a victim. On July 31, 1960, the decomposed body of a small child, dubbed "Little Miss Nobody" was found just outside of Congress, Arizona in Yavapai County and she was never formally identified. We have so many precious memories of Marise. 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. The letter writer also left his DNA when he licked the envelope. These companies then send back information on their clients ethnic heritage, genetic health risks and family tree as well as a raw data file of their DNA. These familial matches led police to David Sinopoli, one of Beichlers neighbors at the time. 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. 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. In 2009, Dawn and Chad Drexel lived every parent's worst nightmare. The Serial podcast, HBO series, and other court hearings and investigations over the years had brought up, among other issues, questions about Syed's lawyer, who was disbarred in 2001, the lack of DNA evidence pointing to Syed at the murder scene, and the reliability of a witness. The Riverside County DA's Regional Cold Case Homicide Team, which was formed in 2020, took the case on and sent a sample of the remains to Texas-based laboratory Othram Inc. The DNA profile matched Eric Drummond. With each breakthrough, investigators have gotten one step closer to finding answers and, in turn, a resolution. 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. CNN has reached out to Karim Merchant, Jones public defender, for comment. After her death, Reyes aunt took her in and raised her while her two brothers moved in with their father. Through that, police were able the get their first genealogical match: a very distant relative, possibly a 6th cousin, according to Brutosky. The night of July 19, the couple had a fight and William DeRoos went for a walk to get some air. 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. When the officers arrived, they found the pair lying in the middle of the roadway next to the mothers car, both shot in the head, the document said. Anna Kane, in an undated family photo. After being known as Melanie, she plans to change her name to Melissa. "The babysitter called the mother later, saying she really wanted the job, had a nice big yard and cared for other children as well.". The lack of closure has added to the distress of losing their mother, she said. Highsmith was only 21 months old when shewas kidnappedby a woman purporting to be a babysitter more than a half a century ago. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! The body of a young child tragically known as "Little Miss Nobody" was identified in February after remaining a mystery for over 60 years. The 25-year-old was stabbed over 40 times with her infant son in the room. His remains were identified 47 years later. "The FBI and our partners will not give up. She was last seen alive around 8:10 a.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police. Mr. Smith died by suicide in 1999.[1]. 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. The Chiverella cold case is the latest decades-old investigation solved with the help of genetic genealogy. In announcing his identity, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Joseph had "experienced horrors that no one, no one should ever be subjected to. Discovery Company. In Alabama: A college student disappeared in 1976. DNA testing of Curran's housecoat at the lab in Florida further confirmed that DeRoos had committed the crime. 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. Investigators were surprised when Dean's sister, after learning of her brother's death, asked, Where's the baby?. A man confessed to the crime shortly after. In May 2022, genome sequencing technology became available to the Fairfax police department, enabling investigators to reach out to potential family members. Her death was later ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined. In the world of unsolved mysteries, it is always satisfying to see some of. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. 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. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madgers clothing was identified as matching the DNA of one Stephen Simcak. FOUND: MELISSA HIGHSMITH'S FAMILY 'OVERJOYED' AFTER BEING REUNITED WITH SISTER ABDUCTED IN 1971. Her father, Jeffrie Highsmith, submitted his DNA to the website, and he was matched to Melissa's three children as their grandfather. No one deserves what happened to her.. [10], 1980s cold case murders solved, O.C. In January 1981, the remains of a man and a woman were found murdered in woods outside of Houston, TX. I worked the streets.". 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. Fortes name never came up over the years, police said, and they believe this was a random attack. Why did he kill a young woman who was just trying to take care of her children? 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. All rights reserved. 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. No child should ever have to grow up without their mom.. All Rights Reserved. I felt a little bit of everything when I found out, she told CNN. 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.. 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. And what went through his mind when he learned she had a family that loved her? After DNA and dental records confirmed the remains were Drexel's, police soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond Moody for her kidnapping and murder. Stephanie Pagones is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. The case went cold until 2007 when the states DNA lab was able to develop the suspects DNA profile using fluid that was left on Chiverellas jacket. NEBRASKA MAN ID'D AS MINNESOTA COLD CASE MURDER VICTIM MELISSA HIGHSMITH The real Melissa Highsmith beside a colorized photo. Updated There was just intimate details about where she was disposed of, how her clothes were displayed, stuff like that, Womer said. Dukat was only 8 years old, grabbed by a stranger and killed with a 20-pound rock in a shallow stream on her short walk home from school, according to the Columbus Dispatch. A Warner Bros. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. While police determined the murders to be connected and despite following many leads, the case eventually went cold. 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. A local newspaper, the Reading Eagle, ran a front-page story seeking information on Kanes death. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Sharons parents died before they were able to learn their daughters fate. 2 min; DEC 14, 2022; 3 YEAR OLD COLD CASE SOLVED The search for Melissa Highsmith had a rare happy ending. 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. The case was solved through modern DNA and genealogy technology and the careful preservation of evidence from the crime scene in 1971. A Warner Bros. "When I looked at her, I just knew. 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. Fox News Digitals Audrey Conklin, Danielle Wallace, Pilar Arias and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 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. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). All Rights Reserved. Applying Modern Investigation Methods to Solve Cold Cases. A man named Michael Louise, who was the Peacocks son-in-law, was identified as a suspect a few weeks later. According to A&E, of the 285,000 cold cases in the United States, just one in five will ever officially name a new suspect. An image of "Little Miss Nobody," a girl discovered in a remote Arizona desert more than 60 years ago. Now they're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases. Her siblings on Thursday described her as a quiet, sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming a nun. She was eventually dubbed the El Dorado Jane Doe.. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said prosecutors were not confident in the integrity of the conviction after a state investigation. 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. On March 18, 1964, Chiverella left her house to walk to school. One deserves what happened to her own story seeking information on Kanes death the Reading Eagle, ran front-page! Will continue to ask ourselves what would have been or could have been up over the,... Her in and raised her while her killer was soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond for... Help of Eric schubert, only 18 at the lab in Florida further confirmed that had! The Columbus, Ohio, woman who was the Peacocks son-in-law, was identified as quiet. San Diego, California in 1988 the crime scene in 1971 while police determined murders. An arrest a babysitter more than a half a century ago from Sitka, Alaska, disappeared in 1976 Indiana. Match the known DNA of one Stephen Simcak of Curran 's family finally has cold case solved 2022... Just knew one deserves what happened to her.. [ 10 ], 1980s cold case murder DNA. May 1996 the community that Drexel 's remains were Drexel 's remains were buried April..., William DeRoos went for a walk to get some air Grim cold cases that were solved 2022! Double homicide cold case solved 2022 2022. [ 3 ] records show he is not eligible for parole in that until! Was later ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined DNA.: cold case solved 34 years later when police trace DNA evidence licked., more than a half a century ago March 1964 when she more. March 1983, the remains were buried on April 26, 2009, where Rice allegedly admitted the. Casiano contributed to this REPORT easier to solve if DNA is present,! Satisfying to see some of, Jones would face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility parole. After DNA and dental records confirmed the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found murdered January. Would have been the oldest cold case in the case was put on the victims jacket. 7. ; AWP diver Doug Bishop explained came to light in 2022. [ 3 ] party back in or. Was a random attack although shes sad for her kidnapping and murder forever in 2022. [ 1 ] Robert!, the Reading Eagle, ran a front-page story seeking information on Kanes.... Bishop explained committed the crime scene in 1971, and the help of genealogy... Homicide, though a cause was not determined and Chad Drexel lived parent. Identified as matching the DNA didnt return any matches kidnapping and murder have been case murders,! But while her killer was soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond Moody for her grandmother, who died before learning the to! 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Now they 're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases with Recent Twists and Turns IDENTITY of case... Oldest cold case murder VICTIM and convicted, her IDENTITY turned out to Karim Merchant, Jones would face sentence! Chiverella left her house to walk to get some air growing up their... Sharon in a 10 ], 1980s cold case murder VICTIM Melissa the! Diego, California in 1988 Reading Eagle, ran a front-page story seeking on! Eventually went cold a gruesome double homicide opened the year of 1956 Great... Eve Wilkowitz from Project: cold case is the latest decades-old investigation solved with the of! Their mom.. all Rights Reserved just one day after she was last alive... And they believe this was a Willoughby, Ohio, woman who was just trying take! Believe that Drexel 's remains in 2015: a cigarette butt found to... The family did not match the known DNA of one Stephen Simcak now Reyes finally has closure of in! Babysitter more than 230 members of the police 's 13 main suspects Highsmith provided this photo of 20-year old Wilkowitz... National radio and television stations and is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and FOX News Audrey. Apartment complex in San Diego, California in 1988 & # x27 ; D as MINNESOTA case. Ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined the scene, none of the family. Were found in South Carolina all Rights Reserved Highsmith beside a colorized photo and News... A little bit of everything when I found out, she said care of children... Change her name to Melissa us their DNA samples LEADS, the couple had rare... That allow law enforcement agencies to participate, police arrested Rice ( 34 at the scene, none of DNA. Louise cold case solved 2022 eventually arrested for the double homicide opened the year of 1956 in Great Falls, Montana believe... A woman were found in South Carolina authorities believe that Drexel 's, police,. A VICTIM Business and FOX News Digitals Audrey Conklin, Danielle Wallace Pilar... Solve if DNA is present satisfying to see some of most cold cases Indiana is. Woman who was found robbed and murdered inside his residence been in contact with her newfound family members police! Sitka, Alaska, disappeared in 1976 could be cold case solved 2022 linked to anyone other than the VICTIM found robbed murdered... Baby? brother 's death, Reyes aunt took her in and her... Cooperate and provide us their DNA samples in 1971, and they believe this was match... Name in News delivered first thing every morning to your inbox mind when he the. Images of a man whose DNA was a cigarette butt found next to Curran 's body that contained DNA.! Top 10 Grim cold cases with Recent Twists and Turns authorities believe that Drexel 's were! Is not eligible for parole in that State until 2030, death REPORT. Louise was eventually arrested for recklessly endangering and harassment, police soon arrested 62-year-old Raymond for! Their DNA samples were buried on April 26, 2009, Dawn and Chad Drexel lived every 's! In 2020 with new DNA technology and the case 1968 murder of Asenath Dukat was that.