Michigan cold case cracked by DNA – that’s the headline after 39 years on ice. Summer of ’86, a young woman biking the U.P. gets abducted near a lonely boat launch, assaulted multiple times, then dumped. She reports fast, a sexual-assault kit is collected, detectives grind… and the trail just freezes. For decades the file sits like a brick on a shelf

Michigan Cold Case Cracked by DNA: How it actually works

No TV sparkle here. The kit held male DNA but there was no hit in CODIS. So detectives green-lit forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG). A specialist lab built a usable profile from the old swabs. Genealogists uploaded that profile to opt-in databases and started the family-tree chess game – distant cousin matches, public records, age/location filters. The tree narrowed to one branch, then one likely guy. Police didn’t stop at “likely”: they got a warrant, grabbed a reference swab, and the lab comparison said what everyone was hoping – match. That’s when the “maybe” turns into a real Michigan cold case cracked by DNA moment

What the case looked like in real life

The suspect lived in Michigan back then, later moved over the Wisconsin line – classic state-border wobble that kills momentum. This time it didn’t. MSP looped in Wisconsin DCI and a county sheriff, lined up the arrest, kept it boring (the good kind). Two days before the pickup, the 78-year-old suspect died at home. No perp walk, no spectacle. But the call to the survivor landed anyway: the DNA match is clear. After almost four decades, someone finally said, “we got your guy.” Not perfect justice, but very real accountability.

Why this Michigan DNA cold case matters in 2025

Three reasons. First, evidence preservation – that kit was stored well enough to build a profile decades later. Second, FIGG done right – opt-in databases, court orders, and a confirmatory swab from the actual person before anyone says a name. Third, collaboration beats turf wars – Michigan and Wisconsin worked the same map, same goal. Boring solves cases. That’s the playbook

A human note the paperwork can’t show

The detective who reopened the binder talked about serving that DNA warrant with a rock in his stomach – what if the lab says no? Forty-eight hours later it said yes. He called the survivor; he also called one of the original ’86 troopers who’d carried the weight for years. You can hear the air change in those conversations. Closure isn’t binary; it’s a dimmer switch that finally moved

What does “Michigan cold case cracked by DNA” mean here?
Genetic genealogy used a kit profile to find relatives in opt-in databases, build a family tree, then police confirmed the suspect with a court-ordered cheek swab

Why didn’t CODIS solve it earlier?
The offender’s DNA wasn’t in CODIS. FIGG looks for relatives instead of a direct 1:1 hit

Was the suspect publicly named?
No. He died before arraignment, so authorities withheld the name; the survivor was notified of the match and status