Beneath decades of silence: 9 cases solved at last
The curated articles show how advances in forensic science have solved cold cases after decades. Authorities use DNA testing and genetic genealogy to identify victims and suspects from cases once thought unsolvable. These breakthroughs bring answers to families and help law enforcement close investigations.
Investigators identified the remains of a woman buried under a man's home in Texas, believed to be his ex-girlfriend who vanished in 1999. In Florida, DNA from a cigarette butt at a 1988 murder scene pointed to the accused killer 35 years later. Police in Wisconsin used genetic genealogy to identify a boy found in a ditch in 1959 and linked his adoptive parents to the crime. In Washington, new DNA analysis led to the arrest of a suspect in a 1989 homicide.
NO. 1: CIGARETTE BUTT IN DEAD MAN’S CAR LEADS TO ACCUSED KILLER 35 YEARS LATER, FLORIDA COPS SAY
The man’s new car was found in Lenoir, North Carolina, more than a 700-mile drive from his Florida home, authorities said. | Published April 23, 2024 | Read Full Story by Olivia Lloyd
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NO. 2: HUMAN REMAINS BURIED IN MAN’S HOME BELIEVED TO BE EX WHO VANISHED IN 1999, TEXAS COPS SAY
Officials said human remains were found buried under a bedroom floor, news outlets reported. | Published June 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jennifer Rodriguez
NO. 3: DNA TECHNOLOGY IDENTIFIES NEW ORLEANS HOMICIDE VICTIM AS MS COAST NATIVE, POLICE SAY
New Orleans police and the FBI are asking for tips to find who is responsible for the murder of a Mississippi Coast mom. | Published October 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Margaret Baker
NO. 4: ADOPTED 7-YEAR-OLD KILLED, LEFT IN DITCH IN 1959, WI COPS SAY. BIRTH FAMILY NOW ID’D
Authorities said boy died “traumatically” and as a “direct result of his torture and abuse by his adoptive parents.” | Published November 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Lauren Liebhaber
NO. 5: WOMAN WAS KILLED IN HER HOME 36 YEARS AGO, WA COPS SAY. DNA TESTING LEADS TO ARREST
The man was arrested in Nevada, police said. | Published January 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Helena Wegner
NO. 6: BONES FOUND IN 1997 IDENTIFIED AS 22-YEAR-OLD WHO VANISHED AFTER BREAKUP, FLORIDA COPS SAY
Land surveyors found remains in the woods that went unidentified for decades. | Published February 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Olivia Lloyd
NO. 7: WOMAN VANISHED WITH NO TRACE IN 1989, IOWA COPS SAY. BOYFRIEND NOW CHARGED WITH MURDER
The woman’s body has not been found, but investigators believe the now 61-year-old man had a “motive to kill” his girlfriend. | Published March 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mike Stunson
NO. 8: AFTER NEARLY 23 YEARS, INVESTIGATORS ID MISSING WOMAN FOUND IN METRO-EAST CREEK BED
Investigators “began taking a new look at the investigation in recent years, as advancements in DNA technology provide new opportunities for further analysis,” police chief says. | Published March 14, 2025 | Read Full Story
NO. 9: HOUSTON COUNTY MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN 2010 RAPE COLD CASE. HE’LL SERVE LIFE SENTENCE
He was indicted in 2023. | Published March 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alba Rosa
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.