The body of a young woman was found by two Department of Transportation workers in December of 1988 on the side of the interstate. The woman's lifeless body was found on a road.
Her identity and that of her killer were not known for over three decades.
The authorities believe that the victim is a 19-year-old woman who was hitchhiking across the United States to return to her hometown ofNorton Shores.
In a rare instance, genetic genealogy was used to identify both the victim and the killer in the same case. The person who killed Ms. Chahorski was a truck driver named Henry Fredrick Wise.
She was a happy person. According to Joe Montgomery, a special agent in charge at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, she liked to travel. She was hitchhiking despite her mother's warnings. She wanted to look at some of the country.
Ms. Chahorski called Ms. Smith in September of 1988 to let her know that she was going back to her hometown.
Mr. Wise picked her up at a truck stop, according to agent Montgomery. Mr. Wise died in a motor vehicle accident at the myrtle beach speedway in South Carolina in 1999.
In March, her identity was established. The killer was announced on Tuesday.
The use of genetic or forensic genealogy, which uses DNA databases to match unidentified remains, has grown in the last few years. The profiles used to solve Ms. Chahorski's case were built by a private DNA laboratory.
He said that Ms. Chahorski's bones had become degraded and damaged over time, a challenge with cases that are decades old. Older remains can have very little genetic material. Modern techniques were used to solve the case. The fluid was traced back to Mr. Wise.
Unlike other genetic genealogy companies, Othram only works on victim identification. The organization works with law enforcement at all levels.
Othram and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation worked together to identify Ms. Chahorski. Audiochuck sponsors Othram and funded the killer's identification.
Audiochuck helps fund Othram's work with a preference that the money be used to solve cases with unidentified victims. It doesn't have a say in how the sponsorship money is used.
Ms. Flowers said that it was important for them to give back in a way that would help solve cases.
Law enforcement in Georgia did the genealogy research after Othram built the DNA profile. Agent Montgomery said at the news conference on Tuesday that genealogy testing doesn't tell you who you are but develops a profile. He said that it was almost like a tree with you working your way back towards the trunk.
The Golden State Killer, who had been linked to more than 50 rapes and 12 murders in California between 1976 and 1986, was identified using genetic genealogy. The success of that case became the driving force behind where we are today, according to agent Montgomery.
It is extremely unique to solve a cold case like the killing of Ms. Chahorski twice.
He said it was amazing. You live with these cases. It was hard to comprehend.
Some of the databases in genetic genealogy used to come from people who had independently submitted their genes to websites such as Ancestry.com or 23andMe. Law enforcement can use the Family Tree DNA and GED match databases if users consent to having their profiles accessed.
Questions have been raised about genetic privacy. The ability to regulate the field has been overwhelmed by the advances in science. Mechthild Prinz is the director of the forensic science program at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
It would be beneficial to put some regulations in place for genetic genealogy.
Mr. Wise lived in both the Carolinas and Florida, according to agent Montgomery. His route would have taken him through Tennessee and Alabama, where he would have been found.
The authorities believed that the killer was a truck driver. We didn't know who it was.
Mr. Wise had a criminal record that included theft, assault and obstruction of a police officer. "If Mr. Wise committed other unsolved crimes, they should come to light now," agent Montgomery said.
The F.B.I.'s Atlanta field office's special agent in charge said investigators had found what was believed to be the killer's DNA at the scene, "but for years could not link it to a person." The agent said that Ms. Chahorski's body was partially clothed.
After law enforcement agenciesexhausted all other leads, funds were secured to use forensic genealogy to generate some new leads, according to agent Farey.
She said it didn't take long. Mr. Wise had a living family member who was willing to give up their genetic information.
The agent said that solving the crime wouldn't ease the pain for the family. There is nothing that can be done. Hopefully it answers some questions
Delaquérire was a researcher.
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