Latest news with #ForensicInvestigativeGeneticGenealogy
Miami Herald
04-08-2025
- Miami Herald
Woman kidnapped on bike trip nearly 40 years ago, MI cops say. Now suspect ID'd
A woman was on a bike trip from her home in Wisconsin to a city in Michigan in 1986 when she was kidnapped at a public restroom and sexually assaulted, Michigan State Police said. Nearly four decades later, a suspect has been identified through DNA testing, according to an Aug. 1 news release from troopers. The woman came out of the public bathroom in Garden Township in August 1986 during her over 300-mile bike trip from Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and was forced into a person's car at gunpoint, police said. She was driven around and sexually assaulted multiple times, then released, according to troopers. The case eventually turned cold, but it was often reviewed, state police said. It took until 2023, when a group of students at Northern Michigan University's Cold Case Program reviewed the case, for there to be a breakthrough. Students helped determine that Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, a newer technique to trace familial connections through DNA evidence, could help move the case along. A 78-year-old man was identified through this testing, and a sample of his DNA obtained through a search warrant confirmed he was a match to DNA evidence obtained nearly four decades ago, police said. State police believe this is Michigan's oldest sexual assault case to be solved using Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy. The man was charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct in Delta County, police said. On July 27, however, he was found dead in his Argonne, Wisconsin, home, police said. Troopers did not identify the man because he is deceased. Sault Ste. Marie is a 345-mile drive northwest from Detroit.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
Remains of Wilseyville serial killing case victim reunited with family
( — The remains of a woman who was killed in the mid-1980s Wilseyville Serial Killings were reunited with her family thanks to advanced DNA technology, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office. Video Above: Homicide vs Murder vs Manslaughter CCSO said members of the Calaveras Cold Case Task Force prepared the remains of Brenda Sue O'Conner to transport her to her family. Brenda O'Conner, her boyfriend Lonnie Bond and their 1-year-old son Lonnie Bond Junior were victims of serial killers Charles Ng and Leonard Lake, according to California court documents. Charles Ng was convicted of 11 counts of murder, while Lake committed suicide upon his capture, according to the task force. Deputies said O'Conner's remains were found in a remote area during the serial killing investigations. The remains of the serial killer's victims were laid in a San Andreas crypt with over 1,000 other unidentified pieces. The cold case task force exhumed the remains in 2021, with the belief that advanced DNA technology could be used to identify the person, according to officials. Officials said task force members have spent the last three years identifying the crypt remains, along with cold case work. O'Conner's remains were identified with the advanced analysis of private laboratories, the California Department of Justice and the use of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy. Davis officials address shooting amid Community Park picnic, 3 people shot In early 2025, another one of the serial killer's victims, Reginald 'Reggie' Frisby was also identified. 'The goal is to return the victims to their loved ones so they can be laid to rest,' the task force said. 'The team is actively working to identify each piece of the unidentified bones and teeth with the help of cutting-edge DNA and forensic genetic genealogy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- CBS News
Jane Doe identified in 29-year-old Baltimore County cold case through new DNA technology
A woman at the center of a 29-year-old cold case in Baltimore County has been identified, police said Thursday. Through a partnership with a DNA lab, police learned that Leoria Smith was last seen 12 years before her body was discovered in a wooded area in 1996. Smith was 20 years old when she disappeared, though her disappearance was never reported to authorities. She had an infant daughter at the time, police said. In March 1996, police became involved when Smith's remains were found by workers in a wooded area in the 17800 block of Falls Road. She was found wearing blue jeans, a light colored blouse with dark pinstripes and pearl buttons, a leather jacket and high-top shoes, according to police. Two gold hoop earrings were also found on the scene. Police determined that her body had been in the woods for at least five years. Her cause of death has not been identified. Investigators were unable to identify Smith at the time, and she became known as "Falls Road Jane Doe." Before being able to identify Smith, police created a facial reconstruction of her based on the skeletal remains that were found in 1996. A forensic artist created a model using the skull that was found, and computer-enhanced images were developed to provide more details. Based on the facial reconstruction, police described Smith as a 5-foot-1 Black woman. The reconstruction identified a small blemish on the right side of her skull, which, at the time, police said could have been hereditary or caused by surgery or an accident. In April 2021, Baltimore County Police partnered with DNA Labs International (DLI) to use the latest forensic technology on this case. DLI used the newest Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) technology which was designed for challenging forensic samples. The test allowed a DNA profile to be developed, police said. DLI genealogists then used the DNA profile to generate new leads for police. Based on the new leads, police conducted interviews and found additional samples. The collaboration allowed police to identify "Falls Road Jane Doe." Police also revealed that Smith attended Gwynns Falls Park Junior High School in the late 1970s to 1980. Just before her death, police said Smith went to the club "Underground," which was in the 2100 block of Edmondson Avenue in Baltimore City. Detectives received a tip that Smith was possibly last seen at the club celebrating her birthday in November 1984. Anyone with information on Smith is asked to call Baltimore County detectives at 410-887-3943 or share a tip online HERE . In early March, Howard County police closed a 50-year-old cold case involving a woman who was last seen outside of a bar in downtown Baltimore in 1975. The body of 20-year-old Roseann Sturtz was found in a wooded area of Columbia, Maryland, near what is now Oakland Ridge Industrial Park off Route 108. In 2022, a new detective took over the case and began poring over every piece of evidence. The search revealed a recording from 1981 in which a suspect, Charles William Davis Jr., acknowledges Sturtz's death while being interviewed for another murder. The detective also found a letter from 1981 in which the Howard County State's Attorney offered Davis blanket immunity from prosecution for information on Sturtz's death. The detective brought Davis in for an interview after finding the letter and recording. At that time, Davis confessed to being responsible for Strutz's death, saying he wanted to give the family closure. Davis was already a convicted killer and is serving a life sentence in a Maryland prison.
