5 min read. 1. What's more, Sullivan, her . The Lyon sisters disappearance sparked one of the largest police investigations in Washington metropolitan area history. The next day, Angela was briefly reunited with her son. Missing Melissa Highsmith reunited with family. "It's really fantastic technology and it's going to solve a lot of cold cases," Singer said. The case gained national attention, even serving as the basis of an HBO special in 1983; justice, though, was a long time in coming. 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. Vanessa Guilln was a 20-year-old soldier in the US Army stationed at Ford Hood in Texas. Take a look at our list of 10 solved cold cases below. A man confessed to the crime shortly after. The extensive family tree Schubert put together led investigators to James Forte, who had a record of violent sexual assault. The department identified. The case lay dormant for years until, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the killing in 2021, investigators decided to take a fresh look. It worked: DNA testing led investigators to a man named Kenneth Gould. Genetic genealogy uses an unknown DNA sample and compares it to databases of DNA to look for partial, but not exact, matches. He was paroled in Texas and shot to death in Laredo in February 2012. Nesson's family urged Reynoldsburg police to reexamine the cold case in August 2019. 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. Still, he hopes that it can be used to help law enforcement improve public safety and "[prevent] tomorrow's victim.". A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. Four-year-old Sharon Lee Gallegos partially decomposed body was found over 500 miles from her New Mexico home July 31, 1960. 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. Jul 02, 2021 at 2:30 pm A dead blond boy found fully dressed and wrapped in a blanket more than 50 years ago has been an identified through genetic genealogy, bringing an end to one Oregon's . Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. On Feb. 25, 2021, more than 39 years after her death, police announced that they arrested 62-year-old David Dwayne Anderson in Nebraska. DNA technology was credited with cracking the case. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madgers clothing was identified as matching the DNA of one Stephen Simcak. However, this was the '80s, and it would take a while for the science of genetic genealogy to help the cops pin down their suspect. Unsolved Kidnappings: May 2021 Updates. A double homicide of two teens in Montana has been solved after more than 60 years thanks to forensic genealogy. Cold Case Murder of Krystal Beslanowitch, 1995 : Solved through forensic technologies. Her boyfriend, who went to her apartment to look for her, discovered her dead of blunt force trauma. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig). 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. Now, the sheriff's office is considering forming a cold case task force, as other law enforcement agencies have done. We're essentially going backwards. Most recently, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to another 25 years to life in prison for the rape and violent murder of Diane Cusick. As with many such cases, the DNA evidence taken from Smith's body was insufficient to pin the crime on Drummond in the '80s, and although there was significant circumstantial evidence of his involvement, he walked free for nearly four decades. Investigators determined Drexel was strangled. 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. Homicide Cold Case Stephanie Isaacson solved news conference Watch on Detectives sent the scant DNA evidence they had left to Othram, where forensic scientists spent the next seven months. Three days later, her badly beaten body turned up floating in the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. Crimes have become much easier to solve if DNA is present. Candice Rogers, a 9-year-old in 1959, was killed in Spokane, Washington, as she sold mints for her Girl Scout-like group Camp Fire Girls, according to The New York Times. Someone climbed up and broke into her window, sexually assaulted her and killed her. FOUND: MELISSA HIGHSMITH'S FAMILY 'OVERJOYED' AFTER BEING REUNITED WITH SISTER ABDUCTED IN 1971. In a post polygraph interview, she advised the agents that Clarence had told her he had done away with both Angela Mack Cox and Thomas Michael Rettew (Mikey) by killing them and destroying their bodies in a furnace that they had attached to their farm house, the press release continues. Candy Rogers Cold Case Murder Solved. In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. All the latest content about Cold cases from the BBC. January 07, 2021: Ryan Mitchell McCormack: Missing Persons : White : 5'10" 185 : M : May 26, 2020: Keeslyn Noelle Roberts: Missing Persons . The case was revived in 2021 when Sgt. 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). Many suspects in cold cases never face justice. Previously wed to Tommy Retew, who filed the first missing persons report, Angela and her freshly-minted husband James Coxwere in a disastrous and trebly fatal car crash just weeks after tying the knot. . In September 2022, Drummond died by suicide as the police were closing in a life that almost certainly would have been lived out in the slammer otherwise. She stated when they moved from the farmhouse to the house in Alton, that Clarence told her that they had to move the furnace out of there since it was used to destroy both Angela and Mikeys bodies.. 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. 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. Also in 2020, 10TV in Columbus ran a story on Nesson's case. 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. On January 7, 1969, 23-year-old Jane Britton failed to show up for an exam. 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The case was solved this year, after police came to suspect John Reigh Hoff, who died of suicide in 1970 at the age of 31, of the crime. After being interviewed by troopers in his Arkansas home in early August 2020, Branch died by suicide. Clippings from the Great Falls Tribune were part of the Cascade County Sheriff's Office investigative file into the 1956 murders of Patricia Kalitzke and Lloyd Duane Bogle. Throughout the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked on the case to no avail. 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. REMAINS OF NY TEEN BRITTANEE DREXEL FOUND 13 YEARS AFTER GOING MISSING IN SOUTH CAROLINA, SUSPECT CHARGED, Her mother, Dawn, called the discovery of Brittanees remains "the beginning of a new chapter. [image via screengrab/Justice for Angie/Facebook], Have a tip we should know? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. And it was not for lack of trying: Early on in the case, investigators followed numerous leads, but none of them panned out. 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]. Before moving to Missouri in 1967, Gould had lived with his wife and children in the Great Falls area around the time of the murders, according to the Tribune. By U.S. Army CID July 13, 2021. 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. The Hazelton, Pennsylvania, girl was found later the same afternoon, raped and strangled. That changed the whole dynamic of the case.". The Cascade County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday that it has closed the file on the 1956 double homicide of Patricia Kalitzke and Lloyd Duane Bogle, resolving the . 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. 2 min. Cold case team says it's ID'd Zodiac Killer. . That same night, Clarence killed them both, authorities now say. While not all breaks have led to arrests just yet, police have been able to use modern DNA forensics technology and genetic genealogy to link evidence from crime scenes to a certain person or group. At least, it seemed that way for more . He was arrested in July 2022. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). Missing Melissa Highsmith reunited with family (Highsmith family Facebook page). Tamika Reyes was only nine years old when her mother, 26-year-old Anna Kane, was found strangled and left in the woods outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. . These two cases were investigated separately until 2003, when the national DNA database CODIS revealed that samples from both crimes matched the same man. The Delphi Murders 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. It's clear that in many cases, when cold cases do get solved, the suspect has already died. She stated that Angela later brought her four-year-old son Mikey to their house and they kept him for a while, and they later made arrangements to adopt him. Two years later, in 1989, a California woman, Renee Cuevas, was also found murdered. In December 1996, police stumbled upon a mystery fit for a detective novel. Police determined that Mr. Smith had indeed lived in the area at the time and had, in fact, been arrested for but never convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder in Las Vegas in 1998. "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.". 21 Cold Cases Solved In 2021 | CompilationSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Merc07MERChandise: https://teespring.com/stores/merch-35Subscribe:-h. The results came back to match a man named Marcus Love. That is, until 2019, when Detective Sgt. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! But with new technology, including advances in genetic identification, breakthroughs do occur. That detail was a small mole on Geddes' right ear, which was enough for police to make a tenuous connection to Geddes. For a show that has "unsolved" in its title, Unsolved Mysteries has actually solved plenty of cases over the years. That heartbreaking nickname was retired forever in 2022, thanks to DNA retrieved from the little girl's remains in 2015. Here is a look at some of the top cold cases solved in 2022. A man named Michael Louise, who was the Peacocks son-in-law, was identified as a suspect a few weeks later. A lengthy press release recounts a cast of characters, compounded tragedies, violence, and lies over the course of nearly two decades. They asked for the family's help in either proving or disproving that Gould was the man responsible and the family complied. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones. 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. 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. [W]e were able to close this case as of April 7, 2021, Sheriff Roork said. A DNA sample taken at the time of that arrest was eventually used to connect him to the Lloyd and Cuevas slayings. 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. 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. A Danby, Vermont couple, George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in September 1989. The family did not see Melissa for decades until November. Using court records, news reports, and good old-fashioned police work, investigators then determined that one of those people 68-year-old David Sinopoli lived in the same apartment complex as Biechler in 1975. But their love story was brutally cut short by the actions of a killer whose identity would not be revealed for more than 60 years. 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. Meyer admitted to prosecutors he had killed Adams. Anna Kane 6ABC News Tamika Reyes was only nine years old when her mother, 26-year-old Anna Kane, was found strangled and left in the woods outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1988. In 1979, Sandra Matott disappeared without a trace, leaving behind several children, including her son Darrell Haymes.. On Sunday, November 29, 1992 officers from the Colton Police Department responded to the railroad tracks off Pepper Avenue and the 10 Freeway in Colton to investigate the report of a dead body. Then, in 2021, police turned to the relatively new field of genetic genealogy. In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. Raymond Moody, now 62, pleaded guilty during an Oct. 19, 2022, hearing in Georgetown, South Carolina. Kim Bell. Phil Matteson, a now-retired detective with the sheriff's office, sent that sample to a local lab for testing in 2001, and the team there identified sperm that did not belong to Bogle, her boyfriend, the paper reports. To date, this cold case is one of the oldest to be recently solved with DNA evidence.[2]. The duo were convicted of those crimes in 1977 and again incarcerated. Unfortunately for criminals and murderers, this means its much easier to get caught, especially for those who committed crimes before DNA testing. The serial killer committed at least 12 murders and 120 residential burglariesthen he disappeared without a trace. "They're excited, but at the same time, it has brought up a lot of memories," Kadner said. By searching public records (such as death certificates and newspaper clippings), forensic genealogists are then able to construct a family tree that can point them right to the suspect, even if that suspect has never provided their DNA to any public database. On March 25, 1975, Katherine and Sheila Lyon (aged 10 and 12 respectively) went missing while on a trip to the nearby mall. Show. The Union County Sheriff's Office announced Monday night its solved two cold cases, according to Capt. 5 min read The cold case slaying of a Nevada teenager whose body was. 2021 at 12:01 p.m. Unrelenting determination coupled with advancing technology helped solve one of Spokane's most heinous and haunting crimes: the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl, 62 years ago. The latest in DNA technology has helped solve a 31-year-old murder case. When the officers arrived on the scene, they found the body of . A double homicide of two teens in Montana has been solved after more than 60 years thanks to forensic genealogy. "When I looked at her, I just knew. She performed well in school, becoming an honors student during her academic career. Both mother and son were quickly murdered after that. While there are thousands of cold cases out there, recent developments and ongoing investigations in these cases may reach resolution by the end of the year. ): Paul Joseph Fronczak was kidnapped as a day-old baby out of a Chicago hospital in 1964. Another missing persons case that was solved in 2021 is that of Kara Vaughn who disappeared more than 25 years ago. "If there's new technology and we are able to potentially solve something, we want to keep working at it, because ultimately we're trying to do it for the family," he said. The team's years of digging uncovered new forensic evidence and photos from . "Boy in the Box" identified as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli. Detectives had an uncomfortable task ahead of them: letting a dead man's family know that, despite the fact that he'd never previously been identified as a person of interest, he was now the key suspect in a double homicide and rape. 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. And they catch the killers just when the offender was feeling home free. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children described how Sharon was with cousins playing behind her grandmothers home in Alamogordo, New Mexico, July 21, 1960, when she was kidnapped. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). These case files range from unsolved murders, missing people, and suspicious deaths, but they are all unsolved mysteries and disappearances overall. "The FBI and our partners will not give up. 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. The next day brought another disturbing discovery: A county road worker found 16-year-old Patricia Kalitzke's body in an area north of Great Falls, the paper reports. 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. They Were the Work of One Man. She took that crucial test at the dogged insistence of Weaver, who reopened the case last summer. According to WRDW News, the case is believed to be the first time that both a murder victim and perpetrator were identified using DNA technology in the same case. 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. 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). GREAT FALLS, Mont. Murder of The Lyon Sisters. This is a compilation of solved cold cases I have covered before. Bogle, an airman hailing from Texas, and Kalitzke, a junior at Great Falls High School, had fallen for each other and were even considering marriage, the Tribune reports. Market data provided by Factset. In 1999, 13-year-old Minerliz Soriano was assaulted and killed on her way home from her New York City school, according to People. Investigators have solved a 28-year cold case and a Texas man is in custody. In announcing his identity, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Joseph had "experienced horrors that no one, no one should ever be subjected to. In a statement announcing the closure of the investigation, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office stated its confidence that "the evidence in this case would support a conviction of Drummond for the murder of Joette Smith.". Jeremy was looking for some cattle work. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Culture Features. The Case Breakers is now saying it has identified the Zodiac Killer as Gary Francis Poste, who passed away in 2018. Fortunately, Kadner had something to work with. 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. However, this was a case that ended with good news: he was found two years later in a stroller and returned to his parents, according to CNN. He spent 10 years in the Ohio Penitentiary, where he met Weber, a fellow inmate. On the night of July 25, 1841, Mary Rogers, who lived in New York City, told her mother and fiance she was spending the evening visiting relatives in New Jersey. In March 1959, the Spokane community was shaken by the disappearance of a little girl, 9-year-old . ", "This is truly a mothers worst nightmare," she said. 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. Unfortunately, there was no match to a suspect at the time. Feb 7, 2022 1 min read Save A lot of cold cases are solved by looking for matches for a relative. When 53-year-old John Stagner was beaten to death in his bed in Orlando, Florida, in 1992, police honed in on a suspect almost immediately, according to Fox 35 Orlando: Ronald Cates, a friend of Stagner's who happened to be a drug addict. Months after the murder, Clarence Krusen was indicted and served time in a federal penitentiary on unrelated weapons charges. In late March 1983, the body of Joette Smith was found floating in the San Lorenzo River.