The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes

While hunting the “Grim Sleeper,” investigators turned to a new and controversial technique — familial DNA matches.

The brutal 1998 murder of Kathleen Heisey shocked the town of Bakersfield, California.

In 1974, cheerleader Carla Walker was abducted while on a date with her boyfriend, and her body was found days later. Could her murder be the work of a serial killer? 

The 2002 murder of Tamekia Taylor bears a striking resemblance to the slaying of Jennifer Clemmings, which took place less than two months later.

In Jennifer Clemmings’ final moments, she can be heard trying to reason with her attacker, who stabbed her multiple times with her own kitchen knives.

In 1977, Sister Roberta Elam was found raped and murdered on a hill where she had gone to pray and meditate.

In 2004, Oakey “Al” Kite was killed in his townhouse basement after enduring a “crazy amount of torture.”

Julianne Stallman was stabbed multiple times in the chest at her home in Butte, Montana.

Sarah DeLeon was found stabbed to death on an isolated stretch of railway in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1989.

CeCe Moore breaks down how genetic genealogists are teaming up with law enforcement to crack cold cases.

Investigator Paul Holes is probing the bloody 2008 murder of former model Eva “Kay” Wenal, by looking at DNA and a baffling letter.

Seasoned investigator Paul Holes believes one man could be responsible for the cold case slayings.

Paleogeneticist Ed Green has developed a new process in which DNA can be recovered and sequenced from rootless hair.

FamilyTreeDNA has helped law enforcement identify several victims and criminals in cases stretching back to the 1970s.

From the Golden State Killer to the Grim Sleeper, these cold cases heated up with breakthroughs in forensic genealogy.

Gary Ridgway claimed to have murdered up to 80 victims, which would make him the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.