8 sexual assault cold cases solved through DNA

Yahoo

15-03-2025

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Cuyahoga County authorities have identified the suspects in eight sexual assault cold cases — including one case that is more than 30 years old — using the latest forensic techniques, according to a Friday news release.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office's Genetic Operations Linking DNA Unit identified the seven suspects as Douglas Freeman, Ellis Williams, Darian Eiland, Gary Tennyson, Vinson Miller, Bruce Williams and Edmund Scott Sr. Those who are still alive have been arrested — one as recently as Friday, March 14.
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'I would like to thank the G.O.L.D. Unit investigators and prosecutors, the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department for their hard work in helping to solve these cases and arrest these violent offenders,' Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley is quoted in the release. 'Victims of crime will not be forgotten in Cuyahoga County and my office along with our law enforcement partners will continue to fight every day to provide answers and justice to them.'
A break in two of the oldest cold cases — both linked to the same suspect — came through the use of forensic genetic genealogy, according to the release.
It's a relatively new process that references commercial DNA databases — like 23andMe — and employs genealogy techniques often used by adoptees to find their birth parents, according to The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education.
On Jan. 29, 1994, a 21-year-old woman got off a bus near East 131st Street and Corlett Avenue in Cleveland, on her way to start her new job. An unknown man forced her at knifepoint into the former Alexander Hamilton School near Kinsman Avenue and East 130th Street, where he sexually assaulted her, according to the release. The woman then walked to work and reported the assault to police.
On Sept. 25, 1995, a 27-year-old woman was waiting to get into a shelter near East 30th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland when an unknown man grabbed her and forced her into his vehicle, holding her at knifepoint. He drove to an area near East 32nd Street and Cedar Avenue, where he sexually and physically assaulted her, according to the release. He then pushed her out of the car and fled.
A rape kit was performed in both cases. Male DNA collected did not provide a lead, so the suspect in both incidents remained unidentified. But he was indicted as a John Doe on 10 counts including rape, attempted rape and kidnapping.
Genealogy lab testing later identified the man as Bruce Williams, who died on Sept. 30, 2017, at the age of 53. The charges were dismissed.
The suspects in several other cold cases were identified through familial DNA searching, in which the suspect is identified through shared genetic characteristics of relatives, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance.
On Oct. 4, 1995, a 19-year-old woman was walking near East 110th Street and St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland when two unknown men approached in a vehicle and ordered her into the car at gunpoint, according to the release. They drove to a Euclid Avenue motel, where one of the men sexually assaulted her in a motel room. They then robbed her and fled the scene.
Using unidentifiable DNA evidence, the unknown man was charged as a John Doe with five counts including rape, aggravated robbery and kidnapping. The Ohio Attorney General's Office later used familial DNA searching to identify the man as Darian Eiland, 54, of Dayton.
West Chester police and Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies arrested Eiland on Dec. 2. Court records show he posted a $50,000 bond days later and is under electronic monitoring. He's due back in court on March 24.
The other suspect, who is charged with complicity in the rape, remains unidentified.
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On. Nov. 13, 1995, a 28-year-old woman was walking near East 105th Street and St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland when an unknown man pulled up in a vehicle, got out and asked to walk with her. He then grabbed her by the throat, pushed her down, sexually assaulted her, then fled, according to the release.
The John Doe was indicted on counts of rape and kidnapping. The attorney general's office connected the DNA profile to Edmund Scott Sr., 54, of Ravenna, who was arrested by Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies on Friday, March 14.
Cuyahoga County court records show Scott is now in jail, awaiting arraignment on March 27.
On June 11, 1996, an 18-year-old woman waiting for the bus near West 98th Street and Lorain Avenue in Cleveland was approached by two unknown men who offered her a ride. She accepted, asking to be driven to a specific location. They instead drove her to an abandoned house near Rutland Avenue and Hazeldell Road in Cleveland, where they sexually assaulted her.
One of the men was previously identified as Steven Ward, now 53, who was prosecuted in 2017.
The second man was identified through familial DNA searching as Douglas Freeman, now 61, of Cleveland. He was arrested by Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies on Nov. 8.
Cuyahoga County court records show Freeman earlier this month pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual battery, which had been downgraded from a rape charge. His remaining charges were dismissed. He's due for sentencing on April 28.
On May 17, 1998, a 26-year-old woman was walking along Old River Road in the Flats when an unknown man grabbed her and forced her into a semi truck, where he beat and sexually assaulted her, according to the release.
Using unidentifiable DNA evidence, John Doe was indicted on five counts including rape, kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
The attorney general's office used familial DNA searching to link the rape to Gary Tennyson, who died in a crash the following September, at 28 years old. His charges were dismissed.
On April 13, 2012, a 22-year-old woman who was at a party with her friends near Denison Avenue and West 69th Street in Cleveland took a drink from two unknown men that 'made her feel paralyzed,' according to the release. They then sexually assaulted her.
The two unidentified suspects were charged with six counts, including rape and gross sexual imposition.
Familial DNA searching by the attorney general's office identified one of the two suspects as Ellis Williams, now 35, of East Cleveland. Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies arrested him on Nov. 18.
Court records show Williams posted a $25,000 bond on Thursday, March 13, and will be subjected to electronic monitoring. His trial is set for June 9.
The second suspect in the rape remains unidentified.
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On Aug. 15, 2012, a 24-year-old woman was out with family at an establishment near Urbana Road and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. The woman later fell asleep in the back seat of her car. An unknown man got in and sexually assaulted her, then fled the scene, according to the release.
The unknown man was charged as a John Doe with four counts of rape. Familial DNA searching identified the man as Vinson Miller, 40, of Cleveland, who was arrested by Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies on Dec. 9.
Court records show Miller posted a $50,000 bond. He was placed under electronic monitoring, which was later terminated over prosecutor's objections. He's due back in court on March 25; his trial is set for June 23.
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