All articles tagged with #cold case
Rhode Island authorities arrested 61-year-old William Morton on Tuesday for the 1985 murder of 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell. Investigators identified Morton after collecting DNA from a water bottle he discarded at a rock concert in August. The case, which had been unsolved for 41 years, was reopened in 2023 using advanced forensic testing. Morton has been charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty.
Frederick Tanzer, a former physician, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for lying to federal agents after DNA evidence identified him as the perpetrator of a 1989 rape in Cincinnati. Although investigators confirmed his guilt through a discarded coffee cup, prosecutors could not charge him for the assault due to expired state statutes of limitations. The case highlights the legal barriers survivors face when time limits bar prosecution, even when modern forensic technology solves decades-old crimes. Tanzer pleaded guilty to false statements after being tricked into denying the attack, while the victim, Dana Beatty, continues to advocate for eliminating such time limits.
Ada County Sheriff's Office identified the 1982 'Unknown Wanderer' as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, a chemist who died by cyanide suicide in Boise. While investigators suggest a possible link to the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, they have not named him a suspect due to lack of physical evidence. Chicago authorities remain skeptical, citing no DNA match and unsubstantiated claims.
Ada County Sheriff’s Office in Boise identified a 1982 suicide victim known as the 'Unknown Wanderer' as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, an organic chemist. While forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz called the identification 'very likely closure' for the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, Idaho authorities declined to name Betkouski a suspect due to lack of physical evidence placing him in Chicago during the killings. Chicago and FBI officials remain skeptical, noting no DNA match and unsubstantiated claims over 44 years.
Idaho authorities identified a 1982 suicide victim as Dr. Mathew Betkouski, a chemist who died by cyanide poisoning. While investigators noted a potential connection to the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, they explicitly stated he is not a suspect due to a lack of evidence placing him in Chicago during the killings.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton confirmed that human remains discovered in Caldwell County in September 2026 belong to Jason Landry, a 21-year-old Texas State University student who vanished in December 2020. DNA testing by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification verified the identity. While the discovery closes a six-year search, investigators report no evidence of foul play and the cause of death remains undetermined.
Ada County Sheriff's Office identified the 1982 'Unknown Wanderer' as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, a chemist who died by cyanide suicide in Boise. While evidence suggests a potential link to the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, authorities have not named him a suspect due to lack of proof he was in Chicago during the killings.
Ada County Sheriff's Office identified the 1982 'Unknown Wanderer' as Dr. Mathew Francis Betkouski, an organic chemist who died by cyanide suicide in Boise. Investigators believe he may be linked to the unsolved 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, though they have not formally named him a suspect.
After the 1993 disappearance of 10-year-old George “Junior” Burdynski in Brentwood, Maryland, Prince George’s County police announced charges against 61-year-old Joseph Lynch for second-degree murder, second-degree rape, and related sex offenses in Burdynski’s death. Lynch has been jailed since April on other charges uncovered during the 2026 cold-case reinvestigation, which also identified two additional victims and led to a separate April 2026 sexual-abuse-of-minors charge. A 13-year-old witness at the time reportedly said Lynch ordered the assault during which Burdynski was killed and disposed of. The case ties to a nearby child-sex ring; investigators believe there may be more victims and the inquiry remains active.
Advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy identified skeletal remains found in Wilson County in 1977 as Cindy Marcell Blizzard, a 15-year-old who ran away from Maryland. The death remains unsolved, with investigators continuing to seek answers in the cold case.
A Guardian Sunday Read argues that the Tupac Shakur killing exposes decades of policing failures, noting that information arrived soon after the shooting but Las Vegas police arrested only after 27 years, highlighting systemic missteps in solving high‑profile cases and their impact on justice and public trust.
A Las Vegas jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, using his incriminating interviews and memoir as the central evidence, effectively closing one of hip-hop’s most notorious cold cases. Meanwhile, the 1997 killing of Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G.) remains unsolved, continuing to haunt the public narrative about the era’s gang violence and law-enforcement missteps.
DNA testing and investigative genetic genealogy helped Oregon investigators identify a decomposed body found in 1972 as Armas Henry Lahti, a World War II Navy veteran who disappeared in 1965, closing a half‑century mystery and prompting efforts to give him a proper burial with the FBI assisting in building the family tree to confirm the identity.
An 81-year-old man admitted to sexually assaulting and killing American tourist Amy Lopez in Koblenz in 1994 as his murder trial opened; prosecutors say he killed to satisfy sexual urges, DNA linked him, and the decades-old case is headed toward a September verdict.
A 15-year-old Fresno girl, Michelle Collier, disappeared in 1978 and was found buried in a California vineyard as 'Arvin Jane Doe.' In 2025, forensic genetic genealogy and DNA testing identified her, giving the family closure; her remains were moved for burial in 2026, while investigators say the homicide investigation continues with no publicly released suspect information.