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. The suspects profile was created and uploaded into commercial genealogy sites that allow law enforcement agencies to participate, police said. 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. Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripperand DNA: New techsolvingmurders. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! We will be examining cold cases that were solved in 2022. 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). (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). According to CNN, police were bereft of leads despite the local newspaper running a front-page story seeking information from the public until 15 months later, when a mysterious letter from a "concerned citizen" appeared on the editor's desk. Richard Cottingham makes a remote appearance in a courtroom in Mineola, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2022. 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. 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. 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. Now they're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases. Updated Cates had developed a habit of borrowing and pawning power tools from Stagner, a city maintenance worker, in order to support this habit; even Cates' own family members had long suspected his involvement in the killing, but police were never able to gather enough evidence to support a probable cause warrant for his arrest. In 2007, Anita Knutson was a student attending Minot State University in North Dakota. 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. Anna Kane. "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. She was last seen alive around 8:10 a.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police. Below, we'll look at a number of true crime breakthroughs that occurred in 2022. The detectives careful preservation of DNA evidence in 1988 provided a solid foundation for todays investigators to examine with new technology, Pennsylvania State Police Sgt. Well, here we are in 2022, and that little piece of evidence that they collected was exactly what we needed.. Her father, Jeffrie Highsmith, submitted his DNA to the website, and he was matched to Melissa's three children as their grandfather. 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. The letter writer also left his DNA when he licked the envelope. I went to the streets. 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. The case went cold. In May 2020, investigators started using investigative genetic genealogy, which combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy, to find biological connection between people. 2023 Cable News Network. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images. 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. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). Jon Kadner sent DNA swabs from Kalitzkes sexual assault to forensic genealogists at Bode Technology. So far, theyve found no ties. 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. 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. 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. Despite the abundance of blood at the scene, none of the DNA could be conclusively linked to anyone other than the victim. He spent two decades in prison for church murders. In late March 1983, the body of Joette Smith was found floating in the San Lorenzo River. 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 man named Michael Louise, who was the Peacocks son-in-law, was identified as a suspect a few weeks later. Former Sen. Patrick Leahy,who was county prosecutor at the time of the murder, said he saw many gruesome crimes during his time as prosecutor but Rita Curran's family stayed in this thoughts for years after. An undated image of Sharon Gallegos. Woman found dead in 1971 identified 52 years later after community fundraiser for DNA testing, How race affects social media efforts to find missing kids, hours of research through genealogical records and public records. The DNA was eventually matched to one Ray Chapa, who at the time of the murder was Loves 19-year-old neighbor. Today we take a look at 20 Cold Cases Solved In 2022. CNNs Jessica Prater contributed to this report. As later reported by the Great Falls Tribune, 18-year-old Lloyd Bogle was found shot in the head with his arms tied behind his back with his own belt. Meanwhile, Reyes still misses her mother. Thanks to DNA and genealogy tracking, authorities announced Thursday, they have solved her case. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. She was found two days later, sexually assaulted and strangled. 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. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. It started as a hobby. "And after 50 years, they did.". 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. She was strangled in 1988. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. 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. Police say there was a struggle at the scene, based on the evidence collected. Police say they identified her killer after he licked an. Her siblings on Thursday described her as a quiet, sweet girl that had aspirations of becoming a nun. DeRoos was found dead of a drug overdose in a hotel room in 1986. 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. She was more than that, she was a victim. 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. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. 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. 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. Like how you go from what little information you have to building a case like that was truly impressive, he said. Unfortunately, Simcak will never be tried for the death of Madger, as he died in 2018.[9]. 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 also said DeRoos strangled her once, the same way Curran died. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much March 17, 2022. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. "We came into this like we come into all cases," AWP diver Doug Bishop explained. Curran's case was put on the back burner for years, making it the oldest cold case in the department. Lee had disappeared and her body was found several weeks later, strangled. All Rights Reserved. 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. Investigators discovered, however, that soon after that interview, Smith had moved to Little Falls, New York, and changed his surname to Becker a circumstance that prompted them to bring him in for a new round of interviews. On March 18, 1964, Chiverella left her house to walk to school. or redistributed. A Warner Bros. 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