After 32 years, authorities identify teen whose remains were found off I-95 in Newburyport
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Clothing found at the scene was decomposed, and an autopsy failed to determine a cause of death, according to the report and Tucker's office.
'Although investigators developed significant leads, due to the limitations in DNA identification, they were unable to make a positive identification,' the statement form Tucker's office said.
That changed recently when Othram, a private forensic sequencing lab in Texas, used advanced DNA analysis along with genealogical research and historical records to identify Rea. Othram has also helped identify other decades-old cases, including
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The lab uses genetic data to find biological relatives, helping investigators piece together family connections and ultimately identify the victims, according to the statement.
Rea's death remains under investigation.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about him to contact the State Police Unresolved Case Unit at 855-MA-SOLVE.
Rita Chandler can be reached at
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Investigators, forensic scientists help identify woman in 1968 cold case murder in Will County, Illinois
The Will County Coroner's Office released a major development in a half-century-old cold case. On Thursday, the office released the name of the woman who was murdered in the county in 1968. During that time, the headline read, 'Woman found dead.' Detectives in 1968 didn't know much more than that. "It states in the report they did go back to look for any evidence, and they didn't find anything," cold case investigator Bill Sheehan said. "We could tell you that there was blunt force trauma, so she died that way." In September 1968, highway workers found a woman's body in the woods along I-55 in Will County. "We're like, 'this one's going to be hard if not unsolvable," Sheehan said. Initial DNA testing of the remains in 2009 revealed the woman was Native American. "I emailed all the tribes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa," Sheehan said. But the break in the case didn't come until help from experts in DNA. "Their technology, it just blows my mind," Sheehan said. Othram, a Houston-based company, specializes in forensic genetic genealogy. "We build technology, a lot of it is DNA-based technology, that can help investigators immediately identify people associated with crime scenes," CEO David Mittelman said. It wasn't the first time that they've helped Will County. Identifying victims of cold cases, just like the one from 1968. "A lead developed from Othram to a lady in Washington," Sheehan said. Othram confirmed a family match and helped identify 33-year-old Martha Bassett. Sheehan said he was at an outing when he learned a match was made. "Well, you're going to laugh, I was at a golf outing," he said. "I jumped for joy. The guys I was with were like 'What's going on over there?' You know." Martha is no longer missing, but plenty of questions still need to be answered. "It's just the beginning of the story. Now, there's an investigation to determine what happened to her," Sheehan said.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
After 32 years, authorities identify teen whose remains were found off I-95 in Newburyport
His skeletal remains were discovered four years later, in November 1992, partially buried in marsh grass about 50 feet from the southbound side of the highway. A father and son pulled over to the side of the road and came across what investigators later described as a 'shallow grave,' according to a Advertisement Clothing found at the scene was decomposed, and an autopsy failed to determine a cause of death, according to the report and Tucker's office. 'Although investigators developed significant leads, due to the limitations in DNA identification, they were unable to make a positive identification,' the statement form Tucker's office said. That changed recently when Othram, a private forensic sequencing lab in Texas, used advanced DNA analysis along with genealogical research and historical records to identify Rea. Othram has also helped identify other decades-old cases, including Advertisement The lab uses genetic data to find biological relatives, helping investigators piece together family connections and ultimately identify the victims, according to the statement. Rea's death remains under investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with information about him to contact the State Police Unresolved Case Unit at 855-MA-SOLVE. Rita Chandler can be reached at
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
DNA leads to an arrest 4 decades after murder, sexual assault of teens in California
Police have made an arrest in Arizona four decades after the cold-case murder and sexual assault of two teenagers who were attacked in a parked car in Northern California, officials said Wednesday. On December 19, 1984, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office was called to an incident in Burney, California by the California Highway Patrol. They found two 18-year-old victims, a male and a female, according to a news release from the office. The male victim, identified by police as Terrance Arndt, had sustained a gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital but died from his injuries. The female victim, who police did not identify, had been sexually assaulted. An investigation found that Arndt and the female victim were parked in Arndt's car talking near an area high school when an unknown person pulled up in a vehicle. Arndt tried to protect the female victim, but was shot. The female victim was then assaulted and left for dead, Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson said in a news conference. After the suspect left the scene, she drove Arndt's car for help until she was able to reach police. Johnson said that the crime "rocked the community for many years." An extensive investigation followed, Johnson said, including "thousands of hours" of case work. Detectives collected forensic evidence from the female victim's clothes, according to forensic genetic genealogy company Othram, and investigators also developed a DNA profile of the suspect. A man was arrested and charged in connection with the case, Othram said, but later cleared by the DNA profile. The DNA profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, a national database used by law enforcement to compare DNA profiles. There were no matches to any known individuals, Othram said. In 2024, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office revisited the case using forensic genetic genealogy, Johnson said. That led police to a suspect, identified as Roger Neil Schmidt Sr. Schmidt, now 64, would have been 23 at the time of the crime, police said. He also "strongly resembled" a sketch developed based on an account from the female victim, the sheriff's office said. Police determined that Schmidt was currently living in Tucson, Arizona but had lived in Burney, California in 1984. Detectives from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office traveled to the city to coordinate with the Tucson Police Department and obtain a search warrant. Police were able to collect a DNA sample from Schmidt and confirm that it matched the profile. Schmidt was arrested in Tucson on Saturday and charged with murder and sexual assault, police said. He made his first court appearance on Monday, CBS affiliate KOLD reported. He was in a wheelchair and using an oxygen tank. Schmidt is expected to be extradited to Shasta County, the sheriff's office said. Johnson said he hopes the arrest brings closure to the female victim and Arndt's family. He said that the families were informed of the arrest before the news conference. According to SFGate, Arndt was a star athlete at Burney High School before enrolling at Shasta College in Redding, California, where he lived at the time of his murder. "The resolution to this case is a bit bittersweet for us," Johnson said. "Although it's a monumental accomplishment for the investigators, for the agency and the closure of having a suspect in custody, it doesn't negate the fact that there is a family and families that have been forever impacted and will forever live with the trauma and the aftermath that was left behind for them."
