Video: How Ancestral DNA Cracks Cold Cases Like the Bear Brook Murders
Cracking cold cases using genealogical DNA takes a combination of scientific analysis and detective work.
December 17, 2019
Is ancestral, or genealogical DNA the answer to solving cold cases? In 1985, a barrel containing the bodies of a woman and young girl were discovered in Bear Brook State Park, New Hampshire. 15 years later, two more girls were discovered in another barrel just 300 feet away. Ancestral DNA, plus dogged detective work eventually helped solve the cold cases. Crime Obsession's Traci Stumpf speaks to Forensic DNA Consultant Mehul Anjaria about the emergence of ancestral DNA and how it helped crack the Bear Brook Murders and helped tracked down the Golden State Killer, among others.
Watch our Golden State Killer playlist on ID GO now.
Next Up
A Brief History Of The Black Dahlia Case
Since 1947, the brutal death of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short has remained Hollywood’s most enduring unsolved mystery.
Arapaho Mother Loses 2 Daughters 1 Year Apart: ‘They Had A Face, They Had A Life’
“What can we put in place to help this epidemic that is occurring for both genders on our reservation?” Nicole Wagon asks.
5 Things To Know About Lori Vallow And The Investigation Into The Death Of Her Children
The Idaho mom’s son and daughter disappeared without a trace in September 2019. Their remains were found buried in shallow graves in June 2020.
Questions Remain In 2009 Case Of High School Senior Found Dead On Minnesota Tribal Land
Stacy Hill, a Red Lake Nation girl, is remembered as a creative and popular student who loved “long walks with family and friends.”
Who Was Notorious Jewel Thief Jack “Murph The Surf” Murphy?
Not all of the details Murphy shared about his life can be verified, but what we know to be true is a fascinating tale about a daytime surfer who moonlighted as a high-end thief.
Inside The 27-Year Investigation Of JonBenét Ramsey’s Murder
On Dec. 26, 1996, the pageant princess was found strangled to death in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado.
More Than Half A Century After His Assassination, Dr. King’s Legacy Lives On
On April 4, 1968, James Earl Ray shot and killed the civil rights leader while he stood on the balcony of his Memphis motel room.
Three Men Charged In Killing Of Hip-Hop Legend Jam Master Jay
The Run-DMC DJ was shot to death in a Queens recording studio in October 2002.