We live in an amazing age of technology. From smartphones to self-driving cars, advancements are all around us. For police and detectives, one of the biggest breakthroughs is DNA profiling. More recently, forensic genealogy has become a game-changer. These tools make it much easier to solve crimes, especially old ones where a tiny bit of DNA was left behind. Many murderers who thought they got away with their crimes decades ago are now being identified. Let’s explore ten fascinating cold case murders that were finally solved thanks to the power of DNA.
10 Shannon Lloyd and Renee Cuevas
In May 1987, 23-year-old Shannon Lloyd was tragically murdered in her Orange County, California, apartment. Police reported she was sexually assaulted and strangled. Two years later, in 1989, another California woman, Renee Cuevas, was also found murdered. For years, these cases were investigated separately. It wasn’t until 2003 that the national DNA database, CODIS, linked samples from both crime scenes to the same unknown man. Still, there was no match to a known suspect.
Fast forward to 2021, investigators turned to genetic genealogy. This newer technique compares an unknown DNA sample to public DNA databases to find relatives and build family trees. This process eventually led police to Rueben Smith. It turned out Smith had lived in the area during the murders and had a prior arrest for sexual assault and attempted murder in Las Vegas in 1998, though he was never convicted. A DNA sample taken from that arrest ultimately connected him to the murders of Lloyd and Cuevas. Sadly, Smith had died by suicide in 1999, before justice could be served in person.
9 Lloyd Bogle and Patricia Kalitzke
The year 1956 started with a shocking double homicide in Great Falls, Montana. Eighteen-year-old Lloyd Bogle was discovered shot in the head, his arms tied behind him with his own belt. The next day, his 16-year-old girlfriend, Patricia Kalitzke, was found in another part of town. She, too, had been shot in the head and sexually assaulted. Police knew the murders were connected, but despite many leads, the case went cold.
Decades later, in 2019, Detective Sgt. Jon Kadner sent DNA swabs from Kalitzke’s assault to forensic genealogists. Scientists used the DNA to search public databases and create a “reverse family tree.” This groundbreaking work pointed to a man named Kenneth Gould. Unfortunately, Gould had passed away in 2007. However, by using DNA from Gould’s living relatives, police confirmed he was responsible for the brutal murders. This case is one of the oldest cold cases to be solved using DNA evidence, bringing long-awaited answers.
8 George and Catherine Peacock
In September 1989, George and Catherine Peacock, aged 76 and 73, were found stabbed to death in their Danby, Vermont, home. There were no signs of a forced entry, making the crime even more puzzling. A few weeks later, Michael Louise, the Peacocks’ son-in-law, became a suspect. However, the evidence against him was only circumstantial, meaning there wasn’t enough solid proof to connect him directly to the murders, and the case grew cold.
Real forensic evidence finally emerged in May 2020. A blood sample found in Louise’s car back in October 1989 was re-tested using new DNA technology. Earlier tests on the blood had been inconclusive. But with the advanced methods, the blood was positively identified as belonging to George Peacock. This breakthrough led to Louise’s arrest for the double homicide in 2022, more than three decades after the crime.
7 Janet Love
Thirty-two-year-old Janet Love was found raped and murdered in her Bedford, Texas, apartment in April 1986. She had died from a gunshot wound to the head. Over the 36 years that followed, many detectives worked on her case, but it remained unsolved and eventually went cold.
In 2020, Bedford Police Sgt. Brett Bowen decided to send DNA from Love’s sexual assault for advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy. The results eventually matched Ray Chapa, who was Love’s 19-year-old neighbor at the time of her murder. Tragically, Chapa died in 2021, just nine months before he was identified as the killer. Police and the FBI are now investigating if Chapa might be linked to other crimes in different states.
6 Robert Reed
In May 2002, Robert Reed was found robbed and murdered inside his home in Elkhart County, Indiana. His head and neck had suffered multiple injuries, and there was a significant amount of blood at the scene. Despite this, none of the DNA collected could be definitively linked to anyone other than Reed himself.
The case was reopened in 2021 when Sgt. Greg Harder of the Elkhart County Police noticed a small detail that might have been overlooked. It was a spot of blood on the victim’s shirt, possibly indicating the attacker stood over Reed and bled on him while searching his pockets. This sample was tested, and the results pointed to a man named Marcus Love. Further testing confirmed Love’s blood was mixed with Reed’s blood in other samples from the crime scene. While it’s unclear how Love knew Reed, he was arrested for Robert Reed’s murder in 2022 thanks to this crucial DNA evidence.
5 Jessica Baggen
Seventeen-year-old Jessica Baggen of Sitka, Alaska, vanished in early May 1996. Her body was found two days later; she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Shortly after, a man confessed to the crime. However, due to a lack of physical evidence at the time, he was acquitted, and the case went cold.
In February 2019, DNA from Baggen’s clothes and body was submitted to a public genealogy database. Previous attempts to match this DNA had failed. This new approach identified Steve Branch as a person of interest. Troopers interviewed Branch at his Arkansas home in early August 2020. Shortly after the interview, Branch died by suicide. A warrant allowed investigators to obtain Branch’s DNA during his autopsy. The results confirmed a match to the DNA found on Jessica Baggen’s body, finally solving the case.
4 Marise Chiverella
In March 1964, nine-year-old Marise Chiverella was kidnapped while walking to school in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Later that same afternoon, she was found raped and strangled. Over the years, more than 230 members of the Pennsylvania State Police worked tirelessly on her case, but it remained unsolved.
The case was given new life in 2020 with advanced DNA technology and the help of Eric Schubert, an expert in genetic genealogy. Schubert meticulously built an extensive family tree, which led investigators to James Forte. Forte had a criminal record for violent sexual assault. Because Forte had died in 1980, his body was exhumed to obtain a DNA sample. Forte’s DNA was a match to genetic material found on Marise’s jacket, bringing a very old and heartbreaking case to a close.
3 Joette Smith
In late March 1983, Joette Smith’s body was discovered floating in the San Lorenzo River. The investigation by Santa Cruz County police led them to Eric Drummond. Reports indicated Drummond had previously asked Smith on a date and had been turned down. He was identified as a suspect five years after Smith was found, but without physical evidence to link him to the murder, he was never arrested.
That vital physical evidence finally came through in 2022. DNA had been found on Smith’s clothing at the time of her murder. However, it was only with recent technological advancements that the sample could be successfully tested and matched. The DNA profile matched Eric Drummond. Before he could be arrested, Drummond died by suicide.
2 Nadine Madger
Nadine Madger, a 25-year-old woman from Willoughby, Ohio, was found murdered in January 1980. She had been brutally stabbed over 40 times, and tragically, her infant son was in the room when it happened. Blood evidence, believed to be from the killer, was found on Nadine’s clothing but remained unidentified for decades.
Then, in 2022, police finally identified a suspect. Through further testing and genealogical research, the blood on Madger’s clothing was matched to the DNA of a man named Stephen Simcak. Unfortunately, Simcak will never face trial for Nadine Madger’s death, as he passed away in 2018.
1 Lindy Beichler
In December 1975, 19-year-old Lindy Beichler was murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment. She was stabbed 19 times. Prosecutors stated that evidence at the scene suggested a sexual motive for the attack. Despite their efforts, investigators found no significant leads, and Lindy’s murder case went cold.
The case was revived in 2019 when prosecutors released composite images of a man whose DNA was believed to have been left at the scene. DNA genealogy was used to compare this sample to public databases, searching for familial matches. This process led police to David Sinopoli, who was one of Lindy’s neighbors at the time of the murder. Investigators obtained a direct sample of Sinopoli’s DNA, which matched the sample found at the crime scene. He was arrested in July 2022, nearly 47 years after Lindy Beichler’s death.
These ten cases show the incredible power of DNA technology and forensic genealogy. What once seemed like unsolvable mysteries are now finding resolutions, bringing a measure of peace to families who have waited decades for answers. As science continues to advance, we can only imagine how many more cold cases will finally be closed, ensuring that justice, no matter how delayed, can still be served.
What are your thoughts on how DNA technology is changing criminal investigations? Leave your comment below!
