10 Crimes That Were Finally Solved in 2023
Murder of Pauline Brazeau
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For almost half a century, the question of who killed Canadian single mother Pauline Brazeau remained unanswered. Brazeau was last seen at a restaurant in Calgary on January 8th 1976, and was found dead hours later on a rural road. Her murder puzzled police back then, and even after it was reinvestigated in the ‘90s, authorities were unable to come up with any concrete leads. In 2021, the case was reopened once again. This time, investigators turned to genetic genealogy, and were able to trace evidence from the crime to Ronald James Edwards. Edwards, who also served prison time for the sexual assault and attempted murder of another woman, was arrested in November 2023 - the same month he turned 74 - and charged with non-capital murder.
Murder of Jeremy Stoner
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This horrific crime not only claimed a boy’s life, it also ruined that of an innocent man. In February 1987, Jeremy Stoner disappeared from his grandparents’ home in Vallejo, California. After four agonizing days, his body was found about 30 miles away, having endured sexual assault before his murder. The initial suspect was Shawn Melton, who was charged with kidnapping and murder. However, Melton narrowly escaped imprisonment after two trials ended in hung juries. Fast forward to September 2023, when advancements in DNA technology led police to 69-year-old Fred Cain III, who was arrested in Oregon and extradited to California to face murder charges. Unfortunately, Shawn Melton passed away in 2000, without the chance to see his name definitively cleared.
Disappearance of Crystal Rogers
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Crystal Rogers was last seen on July 3rd, 2015 by her boyfriend, Brooks Houck. She was reported missing two days later, after her abandoned car was discovered with her phone and purse still inside. Initially, Houck was the prime suspect, but due to a lack of solid evidence, police couldn’t make an arrest. The case was further complicated in 2016 when Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, was fatally shot while hunting, which some believe is connected to his daughter’s disappearance. In 2020, the FBI came onboard, conducting multiple searches on properties linked to the crime. In September 2023, a man named Joseph Lawson was indicted on criminal charges related to Rogers’ disappearance and murder. The following month, Rogers’ ex-boyfriend, Houck, was arrested for her murder.
Murder of Todd Lampley
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HBO’s “The Wire” is renowned for its realistic portrayal of crime, and it would play a role in the February 2011 murder of Todd Lampley in his Cape Cod, Massachusetts home. At the crime scene, investigators discovered a black cell phone and a sweet potato with DNA linked to the perpetrator. The phone was registered to Marlo Stanfield, the name of a character from “The Wire”. Authorities also found that the show featured a potato used as a silencer. DNA on the root vegetable led them to Devarus Hampton, who had named Lampley in a previous murder case. In 2011, Hampton was wearing a GPS monitor, which authorities used to place him at Lampley’s home during the murder. He was arrested in February 2023.
Murder of Barbara Villarreal
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When Barbara Villarreal was murdered in her Garland, Texas home in November 1986, police turned to the usual suspect - her husband. However, by his account, Villarreal was attacked by intruders in their home. DNA evidence seemed to back up this claim, as investigators found blood at the crime scene that belonged to neither Villarreal or her husband. The case eventually went cold and Villarreal’s husband later passed away. As DNA technology advanced over the years, however, authorities made a significant breakthrough. They were able to link evidence from the crime scene to Liborio Canales, Villarreal’s brother-in-law. 85-year-old Canales was arrested in July 2023 and confessed to the crime, admitting that he had killed his brother’s wife over a family dispute.
The Mysterious Lady of the Dunes
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On July 26th 1974, the body of a mysterious woman was discovered on a beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Dubbed the Lady of the Dunes, both her identity and that of her killer remained unknown for nearly 5 decades. Over the years, the case gained notoriety as various theories emerged, including one claiming that she appeared as a background performer in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film “Jaws”. Following repeated unsuccessful efforts, in October 2022, investigators were finally able to identify her using forensic genealogy as Ruth Marie Terry. Terry had disappeared in the summer of 1974 after a trip with her newly-wedded husband Guy Muldavin. In August 2023, police officially closed the case, naming Muldavin, who had died in 2002, as Terry’s killer.
Murder of Gretchen Harrington
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On August 15th 1975, Gretchen Harrington vanished on her way to a summer bible camp in Marple Township, Pennsylvania. Her remains were discovered two months later in a park closeby. David Zandstra, a local pastor who reportedly called in Harrington’s disappearance after Harrington’s father asked about his daughter, was questioned by police but denied seeing the girl that day. That statement was a bold-faced lie. The breakthrough in the case came in early 2023, when a woman, who was a friend to Zandstra’s daughter, showed police her 1975 diary. It detailed claims of Zandstra’s misconduct towards her and suspicions of his involvement in possible kidnappings. When confronted with these claims, the 83-year-old Zandstra confessed to the crime. He was arrested in July and charged with Harrington’s kidnap and murder.
Murder of Jennifer Odom
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The disappearance of Jennifer Odom on February 19th, 1993 led to a massive search in the state of Florida. Sadly, her remains were found six days later in an abandoned field. Despite decades of investigation and hundreds of leads, no promising developments emerged until 2015. DNA analysis linked a man named Jeffrey Norman Crum to a similar case that occurred in the same area just 1 year and 1 month before Odom’s disappearance. Authorities spent the next few years building their case around Crum as a suspect, and in July 2023, he was charged with the murder, sexual assault and kidnapping of Odom. Crum was already serving two life sentences for another case when these new charges were filed.
Murder of Rita Curran
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In 1971, 24-year-old schoolteacher Rita Curran was killed in her Burlington, Vermont apartment shortly after leaving the nest. Investigators carefully collected and preserved key evidence from the crime scene, including a cigarette butt and a piece of Curran’s clothing. Decades later, in 2014, DNA from the cigarette butt was used to form a profile but it failed to match anyone in the federal database. The case was later reopened and investigators announced in February 2023 that they had used genetic genealogy to ultimately link the profile to William DeRoos. DeRoos lived in the same apartment building as Curran but provided a false alibi to police. Sadly, justice couldn’t be served as DeRoos had passed away in 1986.
The Gilgo Beach Serial Killings
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In May 2010, 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert went missing after a distressing 911 call. While searching for her, authorities found the remains of four other women, now known as the Gilgo Four. Over the next year, more remains, including Gilbert’s, would be discovered. Although a profile of the killer was circulated in the media, no arrests in this case were made until July 2023. New York architect Rex Heuermann became a suspect after DNA testing tied him to evidence found on one of the victims’ bodies. His car was also identified by a witness and cellphone records showed that he attempted to communicate with some of the victims. Heuermann was charged with killing three of the Gilgo Four, and remains a prime suspect in the murder of the fourth. What cold cases do you hope will get solved in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
