Episode 112 Doe: ID Possible LISK Victims Karen Vergata and Valerie Mack

During the 1990's and 2000's, the remains of several murder victims; mostly female sex workers, were found on Long Island's beaches. To police it seemed clear that they were the victims of a serial killer, or even more frightening, two serial killers who were dumping victims in the same area. The killer or killers, were given the moniker LISK, or Long Island Serial Killer. Many of the victims were identified, but while police hunted for the killer, they also needed to ID the rest of the victims, and they succeeded finally in identifying two of them; Karen Vergata and Valerie Mack.

Finally, in 2023, an arrest was made following a lengthy investigation of a suspect; architect Rex Heuermann. Searches of his home and vehicles, as well as an extensive investigation, seem to have uncovered a treasure trove of evidence pointing to his involvement in many of the murders. As the suspect awaits his day in court, police continued to try and ID the remaining Doe victims. For now though, Karen Vergata and Valerie Mack have their names back, and this is their story.

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Episode 111 Lindy Sue Biechler Part 2 of 2

This is the second part of the Lindy Sue Biechler case. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, stop now and go back to listen to part 1 first.

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Episode 111 Lindy Sue Biechler Part 1 of 2

The vicious, brutal 1975 stabbing murder of sweet, shy newlywed Lindy Sue Biechler haunted Lancaster, PA. Lindy was stabbed 19 times right inside her front door, and a butcher knife left embedded in her neck, and police couldn’t determine any motive in the case. The 19 year old had no enemies, and no one had seen or heard anything. It was considered the most puzzling unsolved mystery in the area for decades. Then, in 1997, a breakthrough in lab testing hinted at a motive – but not at a suspect. Two decades later, even the powers of forensic genealogy came up short. But in pondering the genealogy, CeCe Moore detected a genetic pattern that she linked to immigration to Lancaster from a specific region in Italy. Fortuitous records of Italian immigrants to Lancaster helped her focus her search. And when she considered these records alongside the phenotype information, she stumbled on a name – someone who had a connection to Lindy. A coffee cup casually thrown into a garbage can at Philadelphia International Airport proved her hunch right, and Lindy’s family had answers at long last.

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Episode 110 Doe ID: Mary Alice Pultz Jenkins

In April, 1985, the skeltonised remains of a woman were discovered in a shallow grave on Crescent Beach, 50 miles south of Jacksonville,Florida. There was no identifcation, and no missing persons in the area matched the remains. Police quickly ruled the death a homicide but had very little clues to go on, other than some extensive injuries the victim had suffered some time before her death; wounds that had healed up. It was thought that she may have been in a serious car accident. They believed the victim was 30-50 years old. Overall, police had little to go on, and the case went cold. Over the years as DNA technology advanced, police tried various methods to ID their victim. Finally in May, 2024, Crescent Beach Jane Doe was identified as Rockville, MD native Mary Alice Pultz Jenkins. She had gone missing in 1968 after becoming estranged from her family. She was last known to be in the company of her boyfriend John Thomas Fugitt, who detectives discovered went by the alias Billy Joe Wallace. Fugitt died on death row in 1981 for an unrelated murder. It's unclear if Fugitt could be responsible for Mary Alice's murder, and police are having trouble tracking the couple's movements prior to her body being found. They are still seeking tips from people to help fill in the blanks. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Saint John's County sheriff’s office at crimetips@sjso.org

Mary Alice Pultz Jenkins finally has her name back, and this is her story.

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Nancy Brophy fills her novels with romantic betrayals and murder. It’s a far cry from her quiet life in the suburbs, where she and her chef husband, Dan, are living out their golden years. But when Dan is shot dead, Nancy finds herself at the center of a murder case that could be ripped from the pages of her novels.

From Wondery, this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality.

Listen to Happily Never After: Dan & Nancy on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. Start your free trial by visiting http://wondery.fm/HNA_DNA now.

Episode 109 DNA ID Rewind: The Case of Troy and LaDonna French

As host Jessica travels to and from the annual Crimecon convention, whether you have listened to every episode of the show, or just found it, Jessica invites listeners to check out this rewind episode from the DNA: ID vault; the case of Troy and LaDonna French, one of her personal favorite episodes. It's a re-release of episode 32.

Jessica will return with an all new episode of DNA: ID on June 10, 2024.

In 2012, a young woman called Rockingham County, NC authorities in the middle of the night and reported that an intruder had shot her parents. Troy and LaDonna French were mowed down with bullets in their own home. Their daughter Whitley, was left to tell the unbelievable story. Investigators knew that the killer was someone with access to the house – but who? After three years and 65 failed DNA comparisons, they were stumped. They decided to use sophisticated partial DNA matching to compare the killer’s DNA with that of someone close to the family – someone whose DNA did not match the killer’s in a straightforward comparison. Then, phenotyping gave them even more information - and what they found blew the case wide open.

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Episode 108 Eric Goldstrand and Lliana Adank Part

This is the conclusion of the Goldstrand/Adank case. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, stop now and go back and listen to that part first.

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Episode 108 Eric Goldstrand and Lliana Adank Part 1 of 2

When 16 year old high schoolers Eric Goldstrand and Lliana Adank were shot to death in at the popular Fall Creek recreation area in June 1977, residents of the teens’ hometown of Eugene, Oregon were shocked and devastated. There were hundreds of witnesses, tips, and leads… a surplus of information that led investigators nowhere. Suspect after suspect failed to pan out, and the case went cold for years, then decades. Extensive investigation into similar campground murders of couples also led nowhere. Finally, a cold case detective determined to solve the murders was able to employ forensic genealogy to identify a potential suspect, who was alive and living in another state. Investigators closed in on him, but he knew they were coming.

To listen to every episode of DNA: ID ad-free and get other benefits, simply visit our channel page on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription. Of course, you can also support DNA: ID with a Patreon subscription.

For all things DNA: ID, visit the show's homepage

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