Police theorized that the killing may have been part of a pattern of attempted child abductions going on at the time, and over the years following, they investigated a slew of potential suspects, even resorting to the not-so-solid technique of hypnotizing subjects in their attempts to elicit a confession. A look at the best and most underrated in entertainment, music, and sports in 2022. A man confessed to the crime shortly after. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 12:45 PM EDT, Fri March 18, 2022. It was abusive, and I ran away at 15 years old. But that doesnt mean there wasnt some connection that we havent figured out yet, Womer said. Now, 'Little Miss Nobody' has a name. A blood sample found in Louises car back in October 1989 was tested for DNA. Louise was eventually arrested for the double homicide in 2022.[3]. In October 2022, Moody was sentenced to life in prison plus two consecutive 30-year stretches, ensuring that the now-62-year-old will never walk free again. Nearly 58 years later, police solve cold case murder of 9-year-old Pennsylvania girl The men responsible for the killings were identified as Billy Sunday Birt, Bobby Gene Gaddis, Charles David. According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. 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. It was obtained legally through a search warrant, Trate said. Rita Curran was a 24-year-old second grade teacher when she was violently murdered in her Burlington apartment in July 1971. They did, however, find that both were racing enthusiasts and attended stock car races at the El Cajon Speedway around the time of Dahns murder. Not long after finding Dean and Tina's identities, investigators began to search for Holly. The answers that my family received is closure and closure is everything even after so much time had passed.. CNN . With each breakthrough, investigators have gotten one step closer to finding answers and, in turn, a resolution. Published 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.". All Rights Reserved. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Please keep after. Amazingly, the cold case was solved within 20 minutes by YouTubers Adventures with Purpose (AWP). This entry is one of the coldest cases to be solved in the U.S. in recent years. More evidence, including Curran's clothes, was sent to a lab in Florida in 2022 where they performed new DNA-extracting techniques. She was only 9 years old. ' It turned out that during her life, the young woman had used a number of aliases, including Kelly Carr, Sharon Wiley, Cheryl Wick, and Mercedes. 60, College student with passion for genealogy helps solve Marise Chiverella cold case, Detectives: Joette Marie Smith taught us to not give up, Willoughby Police solve cold case with new DNA technology, Authorities Arrest Man Linked To 1975 Pennsylvania Murder By DNA Testing, Ten Cold Case Killings That Have Puzzled Police for Decades, 10 Years-Old Cold Cases That Were Solved by Cigarettes, 10 Famous Cold Cases That Could Be Solved In 2021, Top 10 Mysteries, Cold Cases & Puzzles That Were, Top 10 Best Movies Of The Last 10 Decades, Top 10 Best Comedy Duos Of The Last 10 Decades, 10 Abducted Children Who Found Their Way Home Decades Later, Top 10 Bizarre Elements Of The Elisa Lam Case, 10 Awesome New Discoveries About the Human Past from DNA, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, Top 10 Creepiest and Strangest Homes on Zillow, Top Ten Worst Book to Movie Adaptations Ever Filmed, Ten Seriously Spooky Unsolved Spring Break Mysteries, 10 Significant Biblical Archaeology Discoveries, 10 Huge Songs You Didnt Know Were Written for Movies, 10 Amazing Animals That Can Detect Human Diseases, Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns, 10 Tragic Unsolved Cases Of Murdered Families, 10 Twisted Facts About Peter Kurten, The Vampire Of Dusseldorf, 10 Atrocious Experiments Conducted By Unit 731, 10 Loving Fathers Who Snapped And Slaughtered Their Families, 10 Seemingly Innocent People Who Were Secretly Monsters. Follow reporterLilly St. Angelo onTwitter: @lilly_st_ang. In 1974, Forte plead guilty to aggravated assault and served a year of probation, according to Baron. Witness testimony and even the confession of an alleged victim brought varying levels of closure to unsolved crimes. Her coworker discovered her lifeless body in her bedroom. 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. Legal Statement. Two years later, in 1989, a California woman, Renee Cuevas, was also found murdered. 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. Traditionally, investigators will take DNA from a crime scene and compare it to a suspects DNA or they enter the crime scene DNA into a national database, also known as CODIS, to see if theres a match with a known criminal offender. The Serial podcast, HBO series, and other court hearings and investigations over the years had brought up, among other issues, questions about Syed's lawyer, who was disbarred in 2001, the lack of DNA evidence pointing to Syed at the murder scene, and the reliability of a witness. On July 31, 1960, the decomposed body of a small child, dubbed "Little Miss Nobody" was found just outside of Congress, Arizona in Yavapai County and she was never formally identified. If you've ever thought that you may make a good homicide investigator, there is one important qualification (other than having an exceptionally strong stomach) that you should know about. Unfortunately, there was no match to a suspect at the time. A male's DNA was detected on the cigarette butt in testing, but the DNA did not match the DNA of anyone in the national database of felons. Investigators dont know much about Grim other than he lived in the nearby Hamburg, Pennsylvania, area. In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. "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.". On May 11, 2022, the remains of Brittanee Drexel were found in South Carolina. Highsmiths mother gave her the job. 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. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. The Chiverella cold case is the latest decades-old investigation solved with the help of genetic genealogy. Due to decomposition, it was tough to determine the girl's age, let alone her identity; at the time, authorities believed her to be about 7 years old. The prior DNA connection between the suspect and swabs taken from Falcon-Dewey was also confirmed, it said. 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. ", "This is truly a mothers worst nightmare," she said. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. No child should ever have to grow up without their mom.. until you are in jail. Legal Statement. It was hurtful. 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. The 40+ Best Companies To Work For By The Beach in Southern California. Baldwin County cold case solved after 22 years. Warren Robertson was Diane Lynn Dahn's neighbor inside the same apartment complex in San Diego, California in 1988. 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. Schubert began genealogical work on the family tree of our match and very shortly we were provided names of relatives who were scattered throughout the country, a police statement said. A Warner Bros. She died of a gunshot wound to the head. In April 1982, U.S.. But if the person isnt a known offender, they wont be in the CODIS system and, therefore, no match would be present. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Discovery Company. Cottingham was known to approach his victims in mall parking lots and accuse them of stealing while imitating a security guard. 8:36 AM EDT, Fri August 26, 2022. She was loved. The case was revived in 2021 when Sgt. (Nassau County District Attorney's Office). All Rights Reserved. Related: Top 10 Grim Cold Cases With Recent Twists And Turns. Greg Harder of the Elkhart County Police noticed a possible piece of DNA evidence that was missed. The 1980 murder of Asenath Dukat was one that shook the Columbus, Ohio community for a simple reason. The family of Melissa Highsmith provided this photo of her as a baby. Jerome Frank Jones, 51, has been charged with aggravated murder in the 1994 deaths of Stacy Falcon-Dewey, 23, and her 3-year-old son, Jacob Dewey, in Renton, Washington, according to the documents filed Tuesday. As it happened, around this same time, Cates was in the hospital in North Carolina, and as Florida detectives were shoring up their case, Cates blurted out to a nurse that he had killed someone in Florida decades prior. Four-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarellis remains were discovered inside a box and abandoned in Philadelphias Fox Chase neighborhood Feb. 25, 1957. Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said prosecutors were not confident in the integrity of the conviction after a state investigation. While Rice told police the two were best friends, others in their circle reported that the two weren't getting along, and that Knutson was afraid of Rice. In 1975, long before DNA evidence would become a factor in criminal justice, 19-year-old Lindy Sue Biechler was brutally stabbed to death inside her home. After being interviewed by troopers in his Arkansas home in early August 2020, Branch died by suicide. Anna Kane, in an undated family photo. After 1 p.m., her body was discovered in coal refuse pit. In March 2022, 15 years after Knutson's murder, police arrested Rice (34 at the time) for the murder. Joined by current and retired detectives and officials who worked the case, along with Chiverellas siblings, Brutosky detailed how police identified James Paul Forte, who died in 1980, as Chiverellas murderer. The night of July 19, the couple had a fight and William DeRoos went for a walk to get some air. Ten days prior to the discovery of her remains, little Sharon was abducted by two people who had allegedly been stalking her. Eventually, direct relatives of Robertson gave their DNA samples and confirmed his identification and matched the hair strand that was found in Dahns hands. Fortes name never came up over the years, police said, and they believe this was a random attack. But while her killer was soon arrested and convicted, her identity turned out to be a longer mystery. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Mr. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Scientists were able to use the unknown DNA to find potential matches in public databases and create a reverse family tree. This method eventually led to a man named Kenneth Gould, who unfortunately passed away in 2007. Justice has been served today.. That changed in 2022 when those family members who had long lived in fear of Cates and his abusive, violent tendencies came forward to do a fresh round of interviews with police. When the 17-year-old was found beaten to death in a New Jersey cemetery in July 1982, the small community of Blairstown responded with an outpouring of sympathy, raising funds for her burial and keeping the case in the public eye, according to the New Jersey Herald. Although police had fingerprints and photographs of Kelly, they believed that they had done all DNA testing possible in 2004. She was more than that, she was a victim. The team has. While police determined the murders to be connected and despite following many leads, the case eventually went cold. In October 2000, a sample of DNA was taken from underneath Dahns fingernails. Physical evidence was able to close the deal in 2022. A DNA sample taken at the time of that arrest was eventually used to connect him to the Lloyd and Cuevas slayings. The 76- and 73-year-olds were found stabbed to death in their home, which showed no signs of forced entry. More evidence, including Curran's clothes, was sent to a lab in Florida in 2022 where they performed new DNA-extracting techniques. When Diane Lynn Dahn missed her shift at the San Diego Transit Corporation on May 2, 1988, a coworker went to her apartment to check on her. Richard Cottingham and victim Diane Cusick. Leads fail to pan out, witnesses change their tunes or disappear altogether, and collected evidence fails to provide the iron-clad proof required for an arrest and conviction; for mere mortals, it can all become exceedingly frustrating. That letter happened to contain information that only the killer would be privy to, and saliva on the envelope was matched to that found on Kane's clothing. His remains were identified 47 years later. Schubert, only 18 at the time, had assisted other police departments on several cold cases. Meanwhile, detectives sent the genetic evidence from the cigarette butt to a genealogy company to see if a bigger database of DNA could help them find the killer. According to Garden Grove Deputy Police Chief Amir Al Farra, she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. In 2007, Anita Knutson was a student attending Minot State University in North Dakota. State police worked tirelessly over the years but were unable to identify her killer until now. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madgers clothing was identified as matching the DNA of one Stephen Simcak. Before Drummond could be arrested, he died by suicide.[8]. Here is a look at some of the top cold cases solved in 2022. Sharons parents died before they were able to learn their daughters fate. Nathan Trate said at the news conference. Trieb said in a report that his team determined forensic evidence would be key to solving the case because of its age. Hall's daughter, happy to finally have closure, had a message for those facing the unsolved murder of a loved one: "Please don't give up. Former Sen. Patrick Leahy,who was county prosecutor at the time of the murder, said he saw many gruesome crimes during his time as prosecutor but Rita Curran's family stayed in this thoughts for years after. She met with a group of Jesus People to retrieve the car and ask about her son, but says they told her he'd joined their group and was cutting off ties. DNA testing of Curran's housecoat at the lab in Florida further confirmed that DeRoos had committed the crime. The young couple was then positively ID'd as Dean and Tina Clouse, who had recently relocated to Lewisville, TX from central Florida. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. After being known as Melanie, she plans to change her name to Melissa. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. - The suspect in a 1983 cold case murder is believed to be a Florida sheriff's deputy who worked in several counties, including in Central Florida, according to the St. Lucie. That heartbreaking nickname was retired forever in 2022, thanks to DNA retrieved from the little girl's remains in 2015. DNA collected from crime scenes can now be uploaded to an online service that compares it to DNA submitted by people using companies like 23andMe to explore their genealogy. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Now they're using DNA to help cops crack cold cases. The suspects profile was created and uploaded into commercial genealogy sites that allow law enforcement agencies to participate, police said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. A new division at the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, dubbed the Cold Case Homicide Squad, took over the investigation in 2005 -- but it would still be another 16 years until a forensic. Missing Melissa Highsmith reunited with family. I was happy to finally put a face behind the monster who took her from us, (and) upset that he will never be able to face consequences.. As later reported by the Great Falls Tribune, 18-year-old Lloyd Bogle was found shot in the head with his arms tied behind his back with his own belt. And what went through his mind when he learned she had a family that loved her? Raymond Moody, 62, pleaded guilty Oct. 19, 2022, in Georgetown, South Carolina, to raping and killing 17-year-old Brittanee Drexel in 2009. Despite his confession, Kinlaw couldn't be charged with the murder until positive identification of his victim was made and with that accomplished, a first-degree murder charge was filed against him in July 2022. Unfortunately, Simcak will never be tried for the death of Madger, as he died in 2018.[9]. Beyer was adopted by a family friend and said he saw his grandparents and biological family as often as he could. He was arrested in July 2022. In an interview with Burlington police in the fall of 2022, Michelle DeRoos, who now goes by another name, said that her husband at the time had a criminal history and told her not to mention to police that he was not home at the time of the murder because they would try to accuse him of it. Theyre trying to determine whether he knew Kane, and have urged anyone who knows the nature of their relationship to reach out. The body of a young child tragically known as "Little Miss Nobody" was identified in February after remaining a mystery for over 60 years. 7.6K 402K views 6 months ago In this video, we will talk about decades-old cold cases that were solved in 2022. Dahns family, including Mark Beyer, her then 2-year-old son who has no recollection of the incident, spent 34 years wondering who murdered her and why, but thanks to investigative genetic genealogy, investigators were able to track down the suspect, Warren Robertson, a man who also lived in the same apartment complex as Dahn in 1988, according to investigators. While the identification of Kane's killer provided a measure of closure to her daughter, Reyes was understandably disappointed that Grim had eluded justice by way of dying. This would prove to be an incorrect guess, and as there was a dearth of reported missing child cases involving children of that age, police hit a dead end in the case of the girl who would become known to locals as "Little Miss Nobody" (via CBS News). Why did he kill a young woman who was just trying to take care of her children? But in November 2022, a DNA test from the website 23andMe connected Highsmith's children to the family she was born into. 10 Unsettling Unsolved Cold Cases - Listverse Crime | April 26, 2022 10 Unsettling Unsolved Cold Cases by Estelle fact checked by Darci Heikkinen The saying goes, "the truth always comes out in the end." And for the most part, through life's twists and turns, that saying seems to ring true. The search for Melissa Highsmith had a rare happy ending. Over 30 years after her murder, researchers and investigators identified El Dorado Jane Doe in May 2022. Most of us love a good mystery - as long as it's in a book or a movie, and does not remain unsolved. A year later, Robertson moved to Indiana and lived there until he died at age 39, in a house fire on November 25, 1999, investigators said. 2. It started as a hobby. 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]. or redistributed. Well, here we are in 2022, and that little piece of evidence that they collected was exactly what we needed.. The investigation determined that Forte was the suspect in Chiverellas death. If a possible match is found, genealogists can build out family trees to help police find potential suspects. (Provided by family to Fox News Digital), "A woman answered the ad and agreed to meet her at the restaurant where she worked, but she never showed up," the NCMEC said. "We came into this like we come into all cases," AWP diver Doug Bishop explained. It did. In January 1981, the remains of a man and a woman were found murdered in woods outside of Houston, TX. In this case, it appears justice will indeed be served; as of this writing, Sinopoli is being held without bail, awaiting trial for Biechler's murder. Did you encounter any technical issues? Diane Lynn Dahn died on May 2, 1988. Her body was located more than 13 years later, in May of this year, about 35 miles from where she disappeared, officials have said. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones. After he'd moved to Texas, and his letters had stopped coming, his mother says she was contacted by a member of the organization about returning his car. JonBenet Ramsey cold case: DNA expert explains how mystery might be solved in short order CeCe Moore is the chief genetic genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based DNA tech firm Originally from Rochester, New York, Drexel was spending her spring break vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was last seen walking from one hotel to another. It is unclear how Love actually came into contact with Reed; regardless, Love was arrested for the murder of Robert Reed in 2022 based on the DNA evidence.[5]. In 2020, genealogist Eric Schubert contacted the state police offering to help free of charge and lend his unique skill set of tracing down family trees to find matches. Like how you go from what little information you have to building a case like that was truly impressive, he said. 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. The bodies of Falcon-Dewey and her son were discovered on October 28, 1994, after a Seattle Times newspaper delivery person called 911 and reported seeing the mothers body, according to a probable cause document. In 2019, with help from Parabon Nano-Labs, the DNA profile was uploaded to GED Match, a genealogical database. This is fourth oldest cold case to be solved in in the country using genetic genealogy and the oldest in the state of Pennsylvania, according to state police Cpl. The most incriminating evidence was a cigarette butt found next to Curran's body. Her death was later ruled a homicide, though a cause was not determined. 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. "When I looked at her, I just knew. The murder of 33-year-old Santa Cruz, California, restaurant owner Joette Smith was precipitated by what should have been an innocuous circumstance. Investigators determined she was sexually assaulted, murdered and left in the hole with all her belongings. Due to these advances, police have been able to close the book on many cold case murders, all thanks to criminals who left a little DNA before they even knew it could get them caught. 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. The coroner determined her manner of death to be strangulation. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much There was just intimate details about where she was disposed of, how her clothes were displayed, stuff like that, Womer said. Reyes said shes still bothered by the image the media painted of her mother, who was unemployed at the time of her death. "They weren't going to bring Rita Curran back but they could at least bring closure," he said in an interview after the news conference. A number of true crime updates came to light in 2022, with many cold cases solved through forensic genetic genealogy. We live in an era of incredible technology: cars, computers, and even robots. Applying Modern Investigation Methods to Solve Cold Cases. 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. 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. Drexel was last seen on April 25, 2009, while on a spring break trip with friends in Myrtle Beach, SC. "The DNA evidence ended up being so incredibly key," Moore said. "The babysitter called the mother later, saying she really wanted the job, had a nice big yard and cared for other children as well.". The case went cold. Nothing, that is, until 2018, when an amateur cold case enthusiast came forward with one tiny detail after police reopened the case. According to Mosby, the clothes had never been tested, and DNA evidence confirmed that Syed was not involved in his girlfriend's murder. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig). NYC 'TORSO KILLER PLEADS GUILTY TO 1968 MURDER OF LONG ISLAND WOMAN DIANE CUSICK, ADMITS TO KILLING 4 OTHERS. A Danby, Vermont couple, George and Catherine Peacock, were murdered in September 1989. Updated 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. 1980s cold case murders solved, O.C. (The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children). Richard Cottingham makes a remote appearance in a courtroom in Mineola, N.Y., Dec. 5, 2022. In this video, we are going to talk about cold cases that were solved in 2022, after decades. She was spending the summer working as a maid at a local motel and taking graduate courses at the University of Vermont. In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd of Orange County, California, was murdered in her apartment. Case Breakers calls for police to conduct a DNA test to verify their findings; Fox News' Eric Shawn has the details. I knew," Jeff Highsmith said. Nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was walking to school in March 1964 when she was kidnapped. All Rights Reserved. The case gained national attention, even serving as the basis of an HBO special in 1983; justice, though, was a long time in coming. Forte you would need to search over 4 million planet earths.. "And after 50 years, they did.". 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. It may take years or even decades, but we continually seek justice for victims and their families.". The Ontelaunee Trail in Perry Township, where Kane's body was found, as seen in October 1988. 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. She was eventually dubbed the El Dorado Jane Doe.. DeRoos was found dead of a drug overdose in a hotel room in 1986. In May 2020, investigators started using investigative genetic genealogy, which combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy, to find biological connection between people.