All articles tagged with #investigative genetic genealogy
Arlington police and the FBI arrested Mayra Velasquez for capital murder in the 2012 stabbing death of Irasema Chavez after investigators used investigative genetic genealogy to connect a DNA sample from the scene to Velasquez. A discarded-trash DNA sample matched Velasquez, leading to the arrest in Hurst; the motive remains unclear, and Velasquez is being held without bond.
A bone found on Salmon Creek Beach in 2022 has been identified as Walter Karl Kinney, a California banker who disappeared in 1999, after investigators used DNA-based investigative genealogy with the DNA Doe Project to link the remains to Kinney and connect the case to a prior John Doe discovery in nearby Bodega Bay.
DNA found on a glove near Nancy Guthrie’s home did not match CODIS, and authorities have not identified suspects or persons of interest. The case remains open as investigators continue analyzing DNA from the residence and consider using Investigative Genetic Genealogy to help identify a potential suspect or lead, with officials saying the perpetrator appeared to have had a targeted motive.
Investigators probing the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie (Savannah Guthrie’s mother) report no CODIS match from DNA found on a glove discovered near the home, while DNA at the residence remains under analysis. Surveillance footage showed a masked man, and authorities say the case may be targeted, prompting a potential shift to investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) if CODIS yields nothing. The FBI and sheriff’s investigators continue to work leads and have not named any suspects.}
A man suspected of a series of sexual assaults in Sacramento, California, over a decade ago has been arrested through the use of investigative genetic genealogy. Kabeh Cummings, 35, was identified as the suspect through a recent cold case investigation, and he was apprehended in New York. Genetic genealogy combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy to find biological connections between people, allowing law enforcement to build family trees and zero in on suspects. Cummings has been charged with kidnapping, rape, sodomy, and other offenses.