And it was not for lack of trying: Early on in the case, investigators followed numerous leads, but none of them panned out. 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. 4. A man named Steve Branch was identified as a person of interest. Legal Statement. It was the rare case in which a fleeting moment of conscience, and not new technology, was the key to unraveling a three-decade-old crime. Martinez had been identified as a suspect through familial DNA testing, in which unknown DNA material is matched against offenders in a DNA database to potentially identify close male relatives. Market data provided by Factset. . Emailus. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP) Her body was located . Richard Cottingham, nicknamed the "Torso Killer" or "Times Square killer," allegedly admitted in December to killing five women on Long Island, New York, in the late 60s, early 70s. 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. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig). Her body was found in a field, but police never identified a suspect. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. feb 12, 2021. case closed- mountain view police identify suspect in 1990 cold case. "My first impression was that the only way we're gonna ever solve this is through the use of DNA," Kadner said. The Lyon sisters disappearance sparked one of the largest police investigations in Washington metropolitan area history. Months after the murder, Clarence Krusen was indicted and served time in a federal penitentiary on unrelated weapons charges. Angela was off on her own. The Union County Sheriff's Office announced Monday night its solved two cold cases, according to Capt. REYNOLDSBURG, OH A 45-year-old cold case has been solved in Ohio, Attorney General Dave Yost and Reynoldsburg Police Chief Curtis Baker announced Wednesday. Meyer admitted to prosecutors he had killed Adams. "It's really fantastic technology and it's going to solve a lot of cold cases," Singer said. Fortes DNA was a match to genetic material found on the victims jacket.[7]. 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. In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. 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. Jeremy was looking for some cattle work. "Families deserve answers, even. 2 min. Someone climbed up and broke into her window, sexually assaulted her and killed her. 1. Smith died in 2013 at the age of 94. 40-year-old cold case solved with new genetic genealogy technology. hide caption. The case was revived in 2021 when Sgt. DNA had been found on Smiths clothing at the time of her murder, but it was only recently that new advances in technology allowed the sample to be tested and matched. The serial murderer known as the "Torso Killer" admitted to killing a 23-year-old woman outside a Long Island shopping mall in 1968 and four other women decades ago. Though in most instances, the breakthroughs were overshadowed by bigger news stories the Olympics, a new American president, an ongoing pandemic but an impressive number of cold cases were solved in 2021 (including, possibly but not definitively, the Zodiac Killer). 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, For a show that has "unsolved" in its title, Unsolved Mysteries has actually solved plenty of cases over the years. In March 1959, the Spokane community was shaken by the disappearance of a little girl, 9-year-old . . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. Beichlers case was revived in 2019 when prosecutors released composite images of a man whose DNA was supposedly left at the scene. Angela Mack-Cox and her four-year-old son Thomas Michael Mikey Rettew were killed and disappeared in 2002. (Yavapai County Sheriff's Office). Traci Rosenbaum/USA Today Network via Reuters Co. Raymond Moody, now 62, pleaded guilty during an Oct. 19, 2022, hearing in Georgetown, South Carolina. When they did, the now-elderly killer presumably weary from looking over his shoulder for 45 years broke down and confessed to the crime. According to the Fulton County Sheriffs Office in Arkansas, the mother and child were murdered in late 2002 or early 2003 before being placed in a furnace and burned away into nothing. Over the next 14 years, authorities diligently ruled out the presence of any DNA not matching Strutner's in the 1980 evidence and finally, in 2022, he was named as Dukat's murderer. 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. Unsolved cases mean mounting caseloads,. Updated: Jul 27, 2021 / 08:28 PM CDT. 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. ", An image of "Little Miss Nobody," a girl discovered in a remote Arizona desert more than 60 years ago. Using genealogy techniques, detectives discovered that the murderer had ancestral origins in the small Italian town of Gasperina, and that only a couple thousand people with such ties lived in the area at the time of the killing. 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. However, in 2020, Bedford Police Sgt. (Photo: Codymcarlson / CCBYSA3.0) Highsmith disappeared from Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 23, 1971, when she was just 21 months old. He was immediately met with the daunting task of digitizing the expansive case file, an endeavor that took months. Boeing Worker Claims $754.6M Powerball Jackpot, Barrier-Breaking Black Army Officer Finally Awarded Medal Of Honor, FL Blogging Bill Says Political Writers Should Register With State, The Poop On Free-Range Cats And Your Lawn And Garden [Block Talk], 7 Good News Stories: Sense Of Belonging; Secrets To 70-Year Marriage, 5 Best Instagram Spots In Northeast Ohio, Flowers, Rockefeller, Sun, 5 Fun Places To Swim In Ohio A Swimming Activity Of Every Kind. playlist_add. Even the farmhouse furnace used to remove their bodies from the earth along with all evidence of the crime is no longer available. Clarence and Barbara Krusen got to know Angela and Mikey pretty well during this time period, however, and the three adults came to an ultimately abortive adoption agreement. A warrant was issued to obtain Branchs DNA upon his autopsy; the DNA obtained from Branchs remains was confirmed to be a match to the DNA on Baggens body.[6]. [10], 1980s cold case murders solved, O.C. Fox News Digitals Audrey Conklin, Danielle Wallace, Pilar Arias and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It worked: DNA testing led investigators to a man named Kenneth Gould. The hope is that they'll be able to provide more families with the answers they deserve and, in many cases, have spent years waiting for. He's now retired but still focuses on the ones that remain . Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Elkhart County, Indiana, is where, in May 2002, Robert Reed was found robbed and murdered inside his residence. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Initially, the evidence against Lizzie looked damning: she had recently attempted to purchase prussic acid (a poison) and was alleged to have burned a dress in the stove. The case now appears to have finally been solved - but the killer can't go to jail. She performed well in school, becoming an honors student during her academic career. The police found four bodies in the usually tranquil park. Now, the sheriff's office is considering forming a cold case task force, as other law enforcement agencies have done. On March 25, 1975, Katherine and Sheila Lyon (aged 10 and 12 respectively) went missing while on a trip to the nearby mall. With each breakthrough, investigators have gotten one step closer to finding answers and, in turn, a resolution. 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. The only way to prove his guilt or his innocence was to test the DNA of his remaining relatives. But James never saw or spoke with his recent bride ever again. Investigators tracked every lead they could, but the case grew cold. The technique is used to create family trees based on genetic similarities to hopefully lead back to the owner of the unknown sample. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. 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. That heartbreaking nickname was retired forever in 2022, thanks to DNA retrieved from the little girl's remains in 2015. . Barbara stated that it angered both her and Clarence and she told Angela she needed to come back and pick up Mikey [and] that she didnt want to just be a babysitter. Baldwin County cold case solved after 22 years By Hal Scheurich Published: Apr. Jon Kadner, who was assigned the case in 2012 his first cold case, he said during an interview with NPR. Upon further testing, Loves blood was found to be mixed in with other samples of Reeds blood taken from the scene of the murder. Then, in 2021, police turned to the relatively new field of genetic genealogy. Scott Coffer, with the Union County Sheriff's Office. (Jeff Highsmith). The DNA profile matched Eric Drummond. Florida police say they've solved a 43-year-old murder case using advancements in DNA technology. Using data from Brittanee's cell phone, authorities were finally able to pinpoint the location of Brittanee's disappearance more effectively than in previous attempts, which led to the discovery of a surveillance video implicating Moody in the crime, as reported by Democrat & Chronicle. In October 2020, [sheriffs investigator Dale] Weaver contacted Barbara Krusen who advised that she met Angela Mack Cox in the fall of 2002 while Angela was working for her husband Clarence on their farm. Her killer, Eric Drummond, was a customer at her restaurant, and it's likely due to the lack of an obvious connection with Smith that it took police five years to even identify him as a suspect. officials say In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Cold Case Murder of Krystal Beslanowitch, 1995 : Solved through forensic technologies. Unfortunately, all the evidence against him was circumstantial, and without enough to connect Louise to the murder, the case went cold. The circumstances of what led to that initial decision have yet to be released, though Jeremy Cox told investigators he later heard that Angela had sold her son, Mikey, to the Krusens.. January 07, 2021: Ryan Mitchell McCormack: Missing Persons : White : 5'10" 185 : M : May 26, 2020: Keeslyn Noelle Roberts: Missing Persons . Unfortunately, there was no match to a suspect at the time. Over 65 years after a young child was found severely beaten to death, wrapped in a blanket and left in a wooded area of Philadelphia, the little one, nicknamed the "Boy in the Box," was identified earlier this month. Feb 7, 2022 1 min read Save A lot of cold cases are solved by looking for matches for a relative. These two cases were investigated separately until 2003, when the national DNA database CODIS revealed that samples from both crimes matched the same man. QUANTICO, VA - More than three decades after the body of a female Fort Carson Soldier was found, justice has . 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). The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. They Were the Work of One Man. Many suspects in cold cases never face justice. 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. Market data provided by Factset. A double homicide of two teens in Montana has been solved after more than 60 years thanks to forensic genealogy. 4 Mysterious Cold Cases to Know in 2021: Unsolved Murders, Disappearances Entertainment Four Mysterious Cold Cases That Authorities Just Can't Crack From the death of a possible Cold. (NCMEC/ Highsmith family Facebook page). They found him on the ground near his car, and someone had used his belt to tie his hands behind his back, according to a report from the Great Falls Tribune. Sep 15, 2021. Kim Bell. 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.