All articles tagged with #cold case
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.
A decades‑long cold case ended with the indictment of Randy McAllister for the 1985 killing of traveling salesman John Warren at a Middletown, Ohio hotel after investigators linked buried evidence found behind a Dalton, Georgia Cracker Barrel and the victim’s car found in Florida to him; the Warren County case, reopened in 2019, led to a grand jury charging him with aggravated murder and murder, and he remains jailed awaiting arraignment.
Carla Anderson disappeared from her locked Wadena, Minnesota apartment in 1987, leaving a rented movie in the VCR with no sign of a break-in. Authorities have renewed the case with a $25,000 reward and are using updated technology, including DNA analysis, to pursue both old and new leads as Carla’s family and the small community await answers after almost four decades.
Nearly two decades after a 2008 shooting at Sun Drop Bottling Co. in Concord, NC, police arrested Johnny Steven Talbert, 43, of Port Angeles, Wash., on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm. Investigators reexamined evidence in 2025, leading to his arrest; Barnhardt (office manager) and Darrell Noles (job applicant) were killed, with money stolen. Talbert awaits extradition to NC as the investigation continues and authorities ask for any information from the public.
Undercover detectives used a gum-tasting ruse to collect a DNA sample from Mitchell Gaff, which matched DNA found on victim Judy Weaver and connected him to her 1984 murder and Susan Vesey’s 1980 killing. Advances in DNA technology, including STRmix and CODIS, allowed investigators to link the cases four decades later; Gaff pleaded guilty and faces life in prison, bringing closure to families after years of uncertainty.
After Cindy Wanner vanished from Granite Bay in 1991 and her body was found three weeks later, investigators used newer DNA testing to identify James Lawhead Jr., who had been living under an alias. He was arrested in Bullhead City, Arizona, and extradited to Placer County to face murder and kidnapping charges; Lawhead’s sister, Terry Lawhead Steele, was arrested on an accessory charge as authorities continue to probe possible links to other crimes.
Louisiana police arrested four men in the 1982 murder of Roxanne Sharp, aided by new DNA testing and a revived investigation sparked by a podcast; the case, long tracked by former Covington officer Herbie Joiner who died before arrests, underscores persistent collaboration and technological advances in solving cold cases.
Kim Langwell vanished in 1999 in Beaumont, Texas. A 2024 investigation, aided by 48 Hours and new witnesses, led detectives to ex‑boyfriend Terry Rose, whose home concealed Langwell’s remains—buried under a bedroom floor, skeletonized and with a gunshot wound to the back of her head. A key witness, David Wiley, provided crucial details under an immunity deal, and DNA/dental records confirmed the identity. Rose was arrested and charged with murder, while investigators used ground-penetrating radar and a staged return of Wiley to build the case. In December 2025, Rose accepted a plea offering up to 40 years in prison, a sentence Langwell’s daughter Tiffany said was not enough; the family spoke about finally getting accountability after a decades‑long search for the truth.
A suspect, Floyd William Parrott, 64, was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska and charged with capital murder in Houston’s Aug. 23, 1990 double murder at 1300 Enclave Parkway. Victims Cheryl Henry (22) and Garland Andrew Atkinson (21) died from neck injuries. HPD's Cold Case Unit, with FBI and state partners, reopened the case in 2026; Parrott was arrested March 25, 2026 and awaits extradition to Harris County Jail.
After nearly 36 years, authorities charged Floyd William Parrott with the 1990 Lovers' Lane murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson; renewed DNA analysis and a 2025 tip led to Parrott's arrest in Nebraska, and he awaits extradition to Harris County as families seek long-awaited answers.
German police arrested an 81-year-old man in Koblenz for the 1994 murder and sexual assault of American student Amy Lopez after advances in DNA technology and re-examining evidence led to a match between a saliva sample and DNA found in Lopez's jeans. The suspect had a prior 1999 conviction for attempted rape; his genetic data, once deleted, was re-accessed to secure the arrest, and he is now in pretrial detention as investigators continue the case decades after the crime.
In 1969, 17-year-old Mary Kay Heese disappeared after asking a cousin to attend a Sadie Hawkins dance in Wahoo, Nebraska; her body was found nearby, and the case remained unsolved for decades until a 2015 reinvestigation. Investigators focused on Joseph Ambroz and Wayne Greaser, with Ambroz—who knew Heese—ultimately arrested in 2025 and pleading no contest to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, receiving two years in prison; Greaser had died by suicide in 1977. The renewed probe highlighted how Mary Kay’s wish to fit in and her trust in someone she knew contributed to the tragedy.
Decades after Debe Atrops was murdered in Beaverton, Oregon, a 2022 cold-case review used DNA testing on Debe’s coat and soil/mud analysis to reexamine suspects, including her estranged husband Bob Atrops. A 2025 grand jury indicted Bob, and a jury convicted him of second-degree murder after weighing evolving forensic evidence and disputed alibi details; prosecutors say the case involved motive, means, and opportunity, while the defense pointed to other explanations and questioned the strength of the DNA and mud links. Debe’s daughter and family describe the verdict as closure after a long, painful saga.
Skeletal remains found in 2006 on a Quinault Nation beach in Grays Harbor County, Washington, have been identified as Edwin Asher, a former Fossil, Oregon mayor who disappeared in 2006 during a crabbing trip and was presumed drowned. The identity was confirmed by Othram through DNA analysis and investigative genetic genealogy, closing a decades-long mystery surrounding his disappearance.