EP:5. A killer, a sketch and an unidentified young woman.

If the death of Samuel Little and the details contained in the last episode left you feeling like “this case would never be solved”. Keep listening. There have been some surprising developments over the past 30 days. 

Amy Hutsell, Program Director at the CJCC has submitted my case research to the SAKI Task Force. This is the task force that has been charged with matching Georgia homicides to Samuel Little confessions and they are actively working on this case! I am not sure how long the  reexamination will will and obviously, I am anxiously awaiting the results. 

Recently,  Othram, a  Texas-based lab that specializes in using next-generation sequencing and genetic genealogy to identify human remains,  has solved several high profile and lesser known cold cases,  Othram’s website explains that they are the first private laboratory built to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence saying Quote” Our scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace amounts of degraded or contaminated materials. We help investigators break through previously impenetrable forensic DNA barriers and close previously unsolvable cases. We decipher genetic identities, so YOU can solve cases.Unquote.

The YOU in this sentence doesn’t only mean homicide detectives, cold case investigators and police officers, it means you, and me and us. It means anyone who is passionate about helping to give the unidentified back their names and provide answers to families who have been forced to carry the unbearable burden of not knowing. Collectively, with the help of Othram and the DNAsolves crowdfunding platform, we can identify her. 

3 months ago when I released the first two episodes of this podcast, I would have never imagined that  3 episodes later I  would be waiting for the results of a task force review that could once and for all prove that Our Doe was one of Samuel Little’s victims. It is truly mind blowing. 

On the other hand, I have always believed that this podcast could help identify her. I feel really confident that before long, she will have her name. I am grateful to all of you for listening and for your continued support. Special thanks to Detective John Dawes for being more than willing to discuss this case with me. His honesty gave me hope and the confidence to continue searching for ways to solve this case. Detective Dawes believes that every case is solvable, if you are willing to work...he has never stopped trying to solve this case and neither should we.

Join me next time, when I talk with David Mittelman, Founder and CEO of Othram Labs and DNAsolves.com. David will discuss how Othram enables human identification from difficult evidence such as touch DNA, rootless hair and old bones. He will talk about the role Othram played in the identification of Mostly Harmless,a John Doe who was discovered in 2018, and he will explain how we can help identify our Doe and others like her.