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After nearly 50 years, genetic genealogy has helped identify the suspect in a cold case homicide that plagued the city o...
04/10/2026

After nearly 50 years, genetic genealogy has helped identify the suspect in a cold case homicide that plagued the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin for decades. In addition to advanced DNA testing, the preservation of physical evidence from the 1977 crime scene and detailed detective work played a key role in finally solving the cold case.

On Sept. 7, 1977, a friend found 48-year-old Ralph Gianoli brutally murdered in his home in Kenosha. He had been badly beaten and strangled with an electrical cord. An autopsy later determined that he died from blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.

The Kenosha Police Department immediately responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. Police at the time found signs of a violent struggle inside the home. Blood in the bedroom, living room and outside the front door, overturned furniture and broken beer bottles strewn about.

Despite collecting a sizable amount of evidence, no suspect or probable case was ever developed, and the case ultimately went cold—until 2022 when police explored the idea of using GeneticGenealogy to analyze suspect from Gianoli’s fingernail scrapings.

The Kenosha Police Department, Wisconsin DOJ and FBI worked together to submit the DNA from the fingernail clippings to Othram, who delivered a partial DNA profile back to the investigators in 2023. From there, a genetic genealogy search led to a new suspect—James Fowler.

In January 2025, a search warrant for Fowler’s DNA and palm- and finger-prints was issued. The Wisconsin State Crime Lab has now confirmed the DNA from the swab is consistent with the DNA found under Gianoli’s fingernails.

The now-68-year-old Fowler was arrested in Tennessee on a charge of first-degree murder on March 30, 2026. He will be returned to Wisconsin to face trial.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/625050-Fingernail-Clippings-Genetic-Genealogy-Solve-1977-Homicide/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

In 1986, a skull was located in a wooded area of Bristol, New Hampshire. An examination the next year revealed that the ...
03/16/2026

In 1986, a skull was located in a wooded area of Bristol, New Hampshire. An examination the next year revealed that the skull belonged to an adult male, who had likely died 2-10 years prior. However, the identity of the man could not be determined, and he remained unidentified.

The New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, in partnership with the New Hampshire State Police, later brought this case to the DNA Doe Project where a DNA profile was developed for the unidentified man and uploaded to the GEDmatch database, but all of his DNA matches there turned out to be distant relatives. The closest match shared just 1% of his DNA with New Hampshire Cranium Doe.

Hoping to overcome the obstacle of these distant DNA matches, the DNA Doe Project selected this case to be worked on at a virtual ‘retreat’ that took place in May 2025. More than forty genealogists from the United States, Canada, England, and Scotland came together virtually to spend a weekend working solely on this case.

The case was launched on a Friday evening, and the team soon made multiple breakthroughs. Numerous connections were made within the first few hours, and it was soon apparent that the unidentified man had roots in both New Hampshire and Quebec. The next day, the team made further headway, and by the afternoon they had zeroed in on a person of interest.

This person was a man named Warren Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky was born in 1952 and had attended school in the town of Plymouth, about 10 miles from where the skull was found. The last proof of life the team could find for him was from 1970 – after that, there was seemingly no trace of him.

With the team unable to find any proof that Kuchinsky was still alive, they presented this lead to the New Hampshire State Police. NHSP investigators followed up on this and collected a DNA sample from one of Warren’s surviving family members.

Further testing later confirmed that the man formerly known as New Hampshire Cranium Doe was, in fact, Warren Kuchinsky.

Read the full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/624505-DNA-Doe-Project-IDs-Man-Last-Seen-10-Years-Before-Skull-Recovered/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

Nearly half a century after her body was discovered in a high school parking lot, the DNA Doe Project has identified Ven...
02/24/2026

Nearly half a century after her body was discovered in a high school parking lot, the DNA Doe Project has identified Ventura County Jane Doe as Maricela Rocha Parga. Born in Mexico but later a resident of Los Angeles, Parga was 22 years old and pregnant when she was killed by Wilson Chouest, who was convicted of her murder in 2018. Her identification was the product of seven years of genealogy research, making this the toughest case ever solved by the DNA Doe Project.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office brought this case to the DNA Doe Project in 2018, and it was soon apparent to the team that the unidentified woman had roots in Mexico. But with only distant DNA matches and scant public records to work with, solving this case became the largest and most labor-intensive endeavor in the history of the DNA Doe Project.

Over the course of seven years, the team on this case built a family tree comprising over 125,000 people. Over 40 DNA Doe Project volunteers worked on this case, devoting thousands of hours of their own time pro bono in an effort to give Ventura County Jane Doe her real name back. Investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office worked tirelessly alongside the DDP team to follow up on leads and gather additional information to aid our research, with their hard work proving invaluable.

Finally, after years of research, the team began to home in on the family of the unidentified woman. A couple born in the late 1800s in the Mexican state of Zacatecas were identified as the likely great grandparents of Ventura County Jane Doe, at which point the team and investigators began tracking down their descendants.

On Dec. 9, 2025, investigators spoke with a great grandson of this couple, and he shared some critical information - his sister, Maricela Rocha Parga, had been missing since 1980.

Maricela was born in 1958 in Monterrey, Mexico, but she later moved with her family to Los Angeles. Following her disappearance, her siblings spent years looking for her, but they were never able to find out what happened to her. After speaking with investigators, two of Maricela’s siblings immediately booked flights and flew to California the next day, where they provided DNA samples. These samples were later used to confirm that the woman known for decades only as Ventura County Jane Doe was in fact Maricela Rocha Parga.

Read the full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/624259-DNA-Doe-Project-IDs-Murdered-Woman-in-Toughest-Case-Yet/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

On Jan. 18, 1978, construction workers discovered partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area in unincorporated B...
02/18/2026

On Jan. 18, 1978, construction workers discovered partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area in unincorporated Boca Raton, Florida. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office along with the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner responded and collected the unidentified remains. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. examined the remains and determined that the remains were those of a white female. She was estimated to be between 17-29 years of age. Through the years, efforts to identify her met with negative results.

Then, in August 2025, Othram provided new investigative leads derived from after taking up the case in July. In September 2025, detectives followed up on the leads and collected reference samples from relatives of the decedent.

On Dec. 2, 2025, the decedent was identified via investigative as Patricia Ann Ritchie, date of birth 12/3/53, of Harrisonburg, Virginia. The identification was a direct result of the collaboration between Othram, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit, and the Palm Beach County Office of the Medical Examiner.

It is believed Patricia Ann Ritchie was last seen in 1977 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is unknown at this time exactly when and with whom Ritchie travelled to Florida before her death.

Read the full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/624079-Othram-Identifies-1978-Homicide-Victim/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

On March 15, 1964, Mary Simpson was last seen walking home after visiting relatives near East Market and Harriet Streets...
02/02/2026

On March 15, 1964, Mary Simpson was last seen walking home after visiting relatives near East Market and Harriet Streets in Elmira, New York. When she failed to return, her father reported her missing that evening. Four days later, on March 19, Mary’s body was discovered in a wooded area near Combs Hill Road in Southport by a man hiking with his sons. Her remains had been partially concealed under debris and large stones.

Despite an intensive investigation involving hundreds of interviews over the decades, the case went cold.

Then in 2023, to solve the decades old , investigators submitted forensic evidence from the case to Othram. Othram scientists developed a usable DNA extract from the evidence and applied Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile of the unknown suspect.

This profile was used by the FBI's forensic team in a genetic genealogical search to generate new investigative leads. Working with Elmira Police and the FBI, investigators narrowed in on a potential suspect. Further investigative work confirmed the identity of the individual believed to be responsible for Mary’s murder.

Although the suspect is now deceased, law enforcement is expected to announce their identity at a press conference scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026, at the Chemung County District Attorney’s Office.

Read the full article here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623892-Genealogy-Identifies-Suspect-in-1964-Murder-of-12-Year-Old/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

In 1994, police in Seabrook, New Hampshire seized a human skull from a local business. The business owner claimed he had...
01/28/2026

In 1994, police in Seabrook, New Hampshire seized a human skull from a local business. The business owner claimed he had purchased the skull in New York, but investigators were unable to determine where it originated. Now, thanks to the application of investigative genetic genealogy, new information has been revealed in the cold case of Little Lost Seabrook Doe. Additionally, a new facial reconstruction has been created by renowned forensic artist Carl Koppleman to show what she may have looked like.

In the decades since it was discovered, two forensic anthropologists have studied the skull and determined that it belonged to a girl aged 7-9 years old, who had likely died 2-10 years prior. They also found that the skull had been exposed to the elements for an extended period of time before being cleaned and displayed.

The New Hampshire State Police later brought this case to the DNA Doe Project, whose expert investigative work pro bono to identify Jane and John Does, but efforts to identify this girl have been complicated by a lack of close DNA matches and little information about how her skull ended up in New Hampshire.

However, the team’s research has led to a significant development. We now know that Little Lost Seabrook Doe is of Greek heritage, with strong ties to the island of Chios in particular. It’s possible that she lived and died in Greece before her skull was transported to the US, but it’s also possible that she was born and raised in the US to parents with roots in Chios.

Read the full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623826-Seized-Skull-Linked-to-Young-Girl-with-Roots-in-Greece/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

The FBI Norfolk Field Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, on January 20 announced the resolution ...
01/26/2026

The FBI Norfolk Field Office, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, on January 20 announced the resolution of the 1986 cold case murders of Cathleen Thomas and Rebecca Dowski, victims of the Colonial Parkway murders.

Through persistent investigation and breakthroughs in forensic technology, the FBI has determined that Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. of Lancaster County, who died in 2017, murdered Thomas and Dowski. Wilmer Sr. is connected to a series of at least six murders and disappearances of young people in Virginia between 1986 and 1989.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia confirmed that, had Wilmer Sr. been alive today, the evidence developed through this investigation would have supported federal prosecution.

Full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623740-FBI-Solves-1986-Colonial-Parkway-Murders/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

In November 2006, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found on a beach in Taholah, an unincorporated...
01/15/2026

In November 2006, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found on a beach in Taholah, an unincorporated village on the Quinault Indian Reservation, in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Grays Harbor County is on the Pacific coast of Washington near Seattle. The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office and the Grays Harbor County Coroner's Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. They determined the remains were an adult man, likely aged 20 to 60 years old or older. The man was about 5' 9" tall and weighed an estimated 170 to 180 lbs.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the man could not be identified and became known as Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP139985.

In 2025, the Grays Harbor County Coroner's Office, collaborating with the King County Medical Examiner, submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas. Scientists at Othram determined if advanced DNA testing could help identify the man. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted, which led investigators to potential relatives of the man. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified man. This investigation led to the positive identification of the man, who is now known to be Clarence Edwin "Ed" Asher, born April 2, 1934.

Read the full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623651-2006-John-Doe-Identified-as-Presumed-dead-Oregon-Mayor/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

More than four decades after he was killed in a traffic collision in Ohio, the DNA Doe Project has identified Western Re...
01/14/2026

More than four decades after he was killed in a traffic collision in Ohio, the DNA Doe Project has identified Western Reserve Road John Doe as 41-year-old Charles Joseph Nunnenman III. Nunnenman was originally from the Boston area but was last known to be living in Los Angeles, with his connection to Ohio still a mystery.

On Aug.12, 1982, a man was walking westbound on Western Reserve Road in the Youngstown suburb of Boardman, Ohio. Just before midnight, he was struck and killed by a car traveling in the same direction. The driver left the scene, but she later turned herself in. No identification was found on the man and the case soon went cold, despite local press coverage and the existence of a distinctive tattoo.

In an effort to ID the man the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office later brought this case to the DNA Doe Project. The unidentified man’s DNA profile was uploaded to the GEDmatch database, but all of his DNA matches there turned out to be very distant relatives. It became clear that the man had recent European ancestry – specifically, deep roots in Ireland. However, after his DNA was uploaded to the FamilyTreeDNA database, a closer match emerged – a woman who shared nearly 2% of her DNA with Western Reserve Road John Doe.

This match allowed the team to identify a man born in Ireland in 1836 as a likely ancestor of the unidentified man. They built out all of his descendants and found that some of them had moved to Massachusetts, which is when they came across Charles Joseph Nunnenman III.

Nunnenman was born in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1941 and grew up in the Boston area, before later moving to Los Angeles. But while the team found plenty of evidence of his life in Los Angeles in the 1960s, he then seemed to drop off the radar.

With the team unable to find any proof that Nunnenman was either alive or certifiably deceased, they presented this lead to the agency. Investigators from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office then contacted Nunnenman’s niece, who provided a DNA sample. The resulting DNA comparison confirmed that the man formerly known as Western Reserve Road John Doe was in fact Charles Joseph Nunnenman III.
Full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623525-DNA-Doe-Project-Identifies-Man-Killed-in-Car-Accident-in-1982/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

In February of 1988, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found by a horseback rider near the unincor...
01/05/2026

In February of 1988, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found by a horseback rider near the unincorporated town of Parker in Yakima County, Washington. The Yakima County Sheriff's Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating.

The Sheriff's Office launched an extensive investigation to identify the woman, including releasing several composite photos of what the woman would have looked like when she was alive. Despite a lengthy investigation, the woman could not be identified and became known as Parker Doe (1988). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP16335.

This year, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office and the King County Medical Examiner's office submitted forensic evidence to Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the woman. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy to begin to develop new investigative leads.

In the course of the wider investigation, detectives re-considered people who went missing during that era and were led to potential relatives of the woman. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified woman. This investigation led to the positive identification of the woman, who is now known to be 31-year-old Rosa Elia Vargas Jimenez Everts from Toppen*sh, Washington. She was reported missing to the Toppen*sh Police in August of 1987.

Full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623408-A-Re-examination-of-Missing-Persons-Plus-Genealogy-Leads-to-ID-of-1988-Jane-Doe/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with the Park County Sheriff’s Office and the Park County C...
12/09/2025

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with the Park County Sheriff’s Office and the Park County Coroner’s Office, is making a renewed and expanded appeal for public assistance in identifying a man whose remains were discovered last year.

To aid in the identification, a forensic facial reconstruction expert was utilized to create a forensic sculpture that may resemble the unidentified man, often referred to as a "John Doe" in these cases.

Full story here: https://www.forensicmag.com/3594-All-News/623143-CBI-Releases-Facial-Reconstruction-in-Public-Plea-for-Info/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

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