DNA Technology Identifies 9/11 Victim As 44-Year-Old NY Man DNA Technology Identifies 9/11 Victim As 44-Year-Old NY Man
DNA Technology Identifies 9/11 Victim As 44-Year-Old NY Man The latest 9/11 victim has been confirmed using new technology, officials announced. On Thursday, Jan. 18, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced alongside the city’s Chief Medical Examiner that the Long Island man has been identified as Oyster Bay resident John Ballantine Niven. Niven is the 1,650th person to be identified through advanced DNA analysis of remains recovered from the attack. In his obituary, Nivens, who was 44 at the time he died, was described as a dedicated father who enjoyed weekend trips with his family. “Our solemn promise to find answers for families using the la…
Deceased Fisherman ID'd As Virginia Cold Case Killer: State Police Deceased Fisherman ID'd As Virginia Cold Case Killer: State Police
Deceased Fisherman ID'd As Virginia Cold Case Killer: State Police A fisherman who died in 2017 has been identified as the killer responsible for three unsolved Virginia murders in the late 1980s, police said. Alan W. Wilmer Sr., who died at 63 years old in Lancaster County, VA, is believed to have slain David L. Knobling, 20, Robin M. Edwards, 14, and Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29, Virginia State Police announced on Jan. 8. If Wilmer were to be alive, charges would be filed against him in the thre homicides, both the Isle of Wight County and City of Hampton Commonwealth’s attorneys confirm. ABOUT WILMER: DNA Evidence Identifies Former Northern Ne…
Cold Case Murder Suspect Back In Virginia Cold Case Murder Suspect Back In Virginia
Cold Case Murder Suspect Back In Virginia A 51-year-old New York man suspect in a 1994 murder case is back in Virginia. Stephen Smerk, of Niskayuna, NY, was extradited to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, Sept. 26.  He is facing second-degree murder in the Nov. 20, 1994 death of 37-year-old Robin Lawrence, who was found dead in a Springfield, VA home, Fairfax County police said. Smerk is believed to have stabbed Lawrence inside of her Reseca Lane home, when he was 22 years old, authorities said. In 1994, a DNA profile was developed; however, at the time there was no match in any system for …
Suspect In Rachel Morin's Murder Tied To Los Angeles Home Invasion, Assault Of Young Girl Suspect In Rachel Morin's Murder Tied To Los Angeles Home Invasion, Assault Of Young Girl
Suspect In Rachel Morin's Murder Tied To Los Angeles Home Invasion, Assault Of Young Girl A suspect has been identified in the murder of Rachel Morin, authorities said. Col. William Davis, of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, said on Thursday, Aug. 17, that DNA analyzed by Maryland State Police came back as a match tied to a home invasion and assault of a young girl in Los Angeles. The suspect was captured in surveillance footage shared by the sheriff's office. The Harford County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance in identifying the below depicted individual in relation to... Posted by Harford County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, August 17, 2023 The news comes 12…
New Update: 34-Year-Old Who Went Missing In 1996 ID'd As Jane Doe No. 7 In Gilgo Beach Case New Update: 34-Year-Old Who Went Missing In 1996 ID'd As Jane Doe No. 7 In Gilgo Beach Case
New Update: 34-Year-Old Who Went Missing In 1996 ID'd As Jane Doe No. 7 In Gilgo Beach Case This story has been updated. Police investigators have identified another victim in the Long Island Gilgo Beach murder investigation. The name for a victim who had been known as Fire Island Jane Doe No. 7 was revealed to be Karen Vergata, age 34, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and the Gilgo Beach Investigative Taskforce announced in a news conference late Friday morning, Aug. 4. Vergata went missing on Feb. 14, 1996 and had been living in Manattan where she was believed to be working as an escort, Tierney said. It's unknown if Vergata is connected to suspected serial…
Missing Reading Man's Remains Discovered After 8-Year Search Missing Reading Man's Remains Discovered After 8-Year Search
Missing Reading Man's Remains Discovered After 8-Year Search The partial remains of a Reading man who was reported missing in 2015 were located in Exeter Township, authorities announced at a press conference Monday, April 10.  Anthony Rodriguez, a 21-year-old who lived on Perkiomen Avenue, was reported missing to Exeter police in May 2015, Detective Joseph Malone told reporters. Rodriguez had last been seen in the Five Points section of the township near the border with Alsace, the investigator said.  "Police worked many leads in this case but were eventually led to a wooded area" in Exeter, Malone said.  In the first two "extensive searches" of the…
Philly's 'Boy In The Box' Identified After 65 Years: Police Philly's 'Boy In The Box' Identified After 65 Years: Police
Philly's 'Boy In The Box' Identified After 65 Years: Police A boy found dead in a box 65 years ago in Philadelphia has been identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, city police announced at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 8.   Dubbed "The Boy in the Box" or "America's Unknown Child" after his body was found stuffed in a bassinet box along Susquehanna Road in February 1957, the boy's case was one of the oldest unsolved murders in Philadelphia history, according to the department.  Zarelli was born in 1953, and police say they have identified his parents. Officials said they were able to identify the boy by compar…
Authorities ID Remains Of Missing NJ Teen A Half-Century After She Disappeared Authorities ID Remains Of Missing NJ Teen A Half-Century After She Disappeared
Authorities ID Remains Of Missing NJ Teen A Half-Century After She Disappeared Authorities have identified the body of a North Jersey girl who was reported missing a half-century ago. On Easter Sunday 1972, 16-year-old Nancy Carol Fitzgerald sat down for dinner with her family. The next day, she disappeared and was never heard from again. Following an intensive long-term investigation involving numerous interviews and extensive DNA analysis, human remains recovered near the Henry Hudson Bike Trail in Atlantic Highlands in 1988 have now been positively identified as belonging to Nancy – although precisely how and why she died is still unknown. “Tod…
Fugitive Sought In $14K Target Thefts In South Jersey Fugitive Sought In $14K Target Thefts In South Jersey
Fugitive Sought In $14K Target Thefts In South Jersey A 31-year-old man from Delaware is sought in the theft of $14,000 worth of electronics from a South Jersey Target store, authorities said. Quentin A. Murphy,of New Castle, DE, is wanted in the burglary, Evesham police said. On July 25, 2019, the Evesham Police Department responded to 751 South Route 73, Target, for a report of a burglary during the overnight hours while the business was closed.  The investigation revealed that at approximately 2:30 a.m., three suspects entered the store by smashing the glass of the front entrance doors. Once inside, the suspects st…
Police Seek Fugitive Wanted In South Jersey Burglaries At Honda Dealership Police Seek Fugitive Wanted In South Jersey Burglaries At Honda Dealership
Police Seek Fugitive Wanted In South Jersey Burglaries At Honda Dealership A 32-year-old fugitive from Camden is wanted in connection with multiple burglaries at an auto dealership in Burlington County, authorities said. Jonathan Otero also is wanted on charges of theft and criminal mischief, according to Evesham police. On March 21, 2021, at 4:05 a.m., Evesham police responded to Burns Honda for a report of multiple vehicles that had been burglarized and damaged on the lot. A witness provided a partial New Jersey license plate for the suspect’s vehicle, however, the suspect was able to elude immediate capture by responding officers.  It was …
Woman Sentenced For 'Vicious' Murder Where She Stabbed Victim 36 Times In Maryland Woman Sentenced For 'Vicious' Murder Where She Stabbed Victim 36 Times In Maryland
Woman Sentenced For 'Vicious' Murder Where She Stabbed Victim 36 Times In Maryland The woman who stabbed her victim 36 times and killed him during an unprovoked attack in Maryland will spend decades in prison after being sentenced, the Anne Arundel State's Attorney announced. Inari Molina, 27, was sentenced to life with all but 60 years suspended after pleading guilty in May to first-degree murder for her role in the death of Brian Gifford in 2019. Giffords body was found on July 27, 2019, when the Anne Arundel Police Department received a report of a foul odor coming from a white pick-up truck in a large parking lot in the 800 block of Aquahart Road in Glen Burnie. Upon…
Decorated PA Solider Identified Over 70 Years Later Decorated PA Solider Identified Over 70 Years Later
Decorated PA Solider Identified Over 70 Years Later A soldier who was killed inaction over 70 years ago has been identified, according to a release on Thursday by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Army Sgt. James N. Stryker, 20, of West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, who was killed during the Korean War, was identified by DPAA on Aug. 5, 2020. DNA analysis was used to identify Sgt. Stryker’s remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii, the release says. The remains were originally labelled Unknown X-1373 Tanggok but now his name will be recorded on the …