This week we take a look into a landmark case that was solved in Washington State using Genealogical DNA as the only evidence to convict a suspect of two murders from over 30 years ago.

Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg embarked on an overnight trip from Victoria, Canada in November of 1987 to visit Seattle. Their murders were horrific and although DNA was collected, the case went immediately cold. Until the suspect's DNA got a partial match from a genealogical testing kit uploaded to GEDMatch. When compared, the suspects DNA was 100% matched to the DNA collected back in 1987. Eventually, William Talbott II was arrested and convicted based solely on the DNA. He maintains his complete innocence to this day.

As this new development in technology increases, so does the need to ensure the safety of how it’s used to find and catch criminals. What cannot be denied is that countless victims and families are closer to the answers they deserve.

Join us for a discussion on how important this technology is and how this has helped solve potentially unsolvable cases that otherwise would remain cold.



Info from this episode:


Genealogical DNA test Wiki page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogical_DNA_test


National Conference of State Legislatures

https://www.ncsl.org/Documents/cj/EmergingIssues.pdf


Is Familial DNA Matching Flawed?

https://psmag.com/environment/the-flaws-of-familial-dna-matching-64736


Are You a Suspect?

https://www.wired.com/2015/10/familial-dna-evidence-turns-innocent-people-into-crime-suspects/


Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg Wiki page

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/william-talbott-ii-family-police-interviews-1.5286050


The Fifth Estate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flWaygWKezQ&t=392s


Murder Solved by Tracing Family Tree

https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-horrific-cold-case-that-might-be-solved-by-tracing-the-suspect-s-family-tree


Talbott Appeals Courts Decision

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/william-talbott-ii-family-police-interviews-1.5286050


The Grim Sleeper

https://homicide.latimes.com/post/grim-sleeper-killings/


The Boston Strangler Wiki Page

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Strangler