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The Forever Witness
The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder | Edward Humes
7 posts | 13 read | 11 to read
After thirty years, Detective Jim Scharf arrested a teenage couple's murderer—and exposed a looming battle between the pursuit of justice and the right to privacy. When Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered during a trip to Seattle in the 1980s, detectives had few leads. The murder weapon was missing. No one witnessed any suspicious activity. And there was only a single handprint on the outside of the young couple’s van. The detectives assumed Tanya and Jay were victims of a serial killer—but without any leads, the case seemed forever doomed. In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime scenes sat waiting. Meanwhile, California resident CeCe Moore began her lifelong fascination with genetic genealogy. As DNA testing companies rapidly grew in popularity, she discovered another use for the technology: solving crimes. When Detective Jim Scharf decided to send the cold case’s decades-old DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he hoped he would bring closure to the Van Cuylenborg and Cook families. He didn't know that he and Moore would make history. Anyone can submit a saliva sample to learn about their ancestry. But what happens after the results of these tests are uploaded to the internet? As lawyers, policymakers, and police officers fight over questions of consent and privacy, the implications of Scharf’s case become ever clearer. Approximately 250,000 murders in the United States remain unsolved today. We have the tools to catch many of these killers—but what is the cost?
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Sharpeipup
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Spotted in the library parking lot.

KadaGul I see 👀 some loyal Followers of Eve. 🤣🤣#BookishBumpStickers 6mo
julesG 🤣🤣 6mo
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 6mo
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Marquis784
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Mehso-so

This is the case which served as the hallmark of DNA genealogy used to solve crimes. It seemed to be happenstance that a woman CeCe Moore in California began investigating genetic genealogy not realizing that she was about to fall into a rabbit hole. Since then, she was able to lend her knowledge of this technology to solve crimes. That's where Detective Jim Scharf comes in to solve a cold case of a double murder: Tanya Van Cuylenborg /Jay Cook.

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DGRachel
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Pickpick

This was an interesting, informative look at the first criminal trial using genetic genealogy as its primary evidence. The cold case is a horrific murder of two young Canadians on a trip to Washington State. This book not only details the crime, but also delves into the privacy concerns around public and private DNA databases, and a history of the development of forensic genetic genealogy, especially the work of CeCe Moore and Parabon.

LeahBergen I love these books where DNA/genetic genealogy solves cold cases! 10mo
DGRachel @LeahBergen Me, too, and this one was a random find. I went on Libby, filtered audiobooks/available now/true crime, because I didn‘t want to read anything I already had in my personal audiobook library and couldn‘t think of a specific title I wanted. I just knew I wanted true crime while I worked. 🤓 10mo
62 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
Coffeymuse
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This was two related subjects in one-the story of a 1887 murder and the present day advanced in DNA and genetic generally.

I loved this book and definitely have food for thought about DNA and those pay for answers about ancestry i.e. 23&Me or Ancestry.com.

Recommended if your interested in forensic genealogy or true crime.

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Amiable
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Pickpick

Used my free space to read this fascinating book about the first cold case that was solved using genetic genealogy techniques to identify a suspect with DNA and family trees. As an amateur genealogist who has been researching my own family since the days before the internet, this was right up my alley.

#Nonfiction2023

41 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

Really fascinating. The story of a 1987 cold case investigation and how genetic genealogy played a role in solving this case and others. He also examines the continuing debate surrounding this issue.

64 likes2 stack adds
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Ephemera
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Pickpick

If true crime is your thing, you should read this book. This book is about how a cold case double murder was solved using genetic genealogy, which is the process that was used to track down the killer of the four students in Idaho and also the Golden State Killer. The writing is terrific and the story is a page turner. Five big stars.

DocBrown This author just came to my town! 2y
Ephemera Very cool. The book is really well written and researched 2y
4 likes2 comments