Investigators say Texas cold case victim was bridesmaid at murder suspect's wedding | Forensic Files

this week's 48 Hours looks into the unsolved murder of a Texas school teacher in 1995 Mary Katherine Edwards
was found dead in her bathroom the investigation was cold for 26 years but recent advances in forensic science
helped police identify her killer and discover her surprising connection to her 48 Hours contributor Natalie Morales
gives us an early look at her [Music] report tracking the killer of Catherine Edwards meant revisiting the 1995 crime
scene 911 what your Martin say her parents called 911 my daughter's been murdered she's
been murdered for Texas Ranger Brandon Bez almost everything about the case was different it was an unusual crime scene
she's over the bathtub and she's obviously been assaulted and handcuffed behind her back were they police grade
yeah cuffs there was always the worry that it was a police officer the DNA left at the scene did not match anyone
they tested and the case went cold there was no sign of forced entry at the time
right right did we believe it was someone she knew yeah more than 25 years later using the carefully preserved DNA
from the crime scene and genetic genealogy best husband and wife detective team Aaron and Tina lellan and
gen ologist Cheryl a point worked Around the Clock staying up till midnight every
night it just was not going to happen without the DNA after almost 3 months of ups and downs and nearly non-stop work
sherah hit pager honestly you know he was never on the radar Brandon B how you know good the suspect was not a police
officer but he was someone Catherine knew hair on the back of my neck stood up I'm like this is our guy turns out
Catherine was a bridesmaid at his wedding an absolute shock to everyone including
the woman he married his ex-wife Diana Co I almost fell to the ground I was just like oh my God I oh God I can't
believe he's done [Music] this Natalie Morales joins us now good morning so let's jump right into it how
were investigators able to connect the murderer's DNA to the crime scene well n was from building out that family tree
they had the suspect's name and it turns out he had a criminal record they were able to track him down in Ohio they had
local police in Ohio do what they call a trash run where they took his trash and
from the trash they were able to collect a piece of an item that they were able to gather his DNA they matched that DNA
to the DNA at the crime scene and that's when they knew they definitively had their man without giving everything away
what else can you tell us about the murderer well as you heard heard I mean from what people knew about him they
thought he was the nice guy back in high school that everybody knew and loved well it turns out he had a criminal past
but um you saw that he did have a connection he in fact was uh his wife was friends uh with Catherine and
Allison her identical twin sister and Katherine and Allison had been bridesmaids at his wedding so
investigators at that point realized there was a connection between them yeah um How did the Edward's family respon to
finding out about him 26 years later well sadly uh the Edwards family her parents had had passed away since then
but uh her sister Allison gave emotional testimony at trial she is now 61 years old and I said she's an identical twin
so seeing her was somewhat haunting imagining what could have been what Katherine Edwards would be like now you
hear these stories about the murderer being closer than you think and this is an example for that Natalie Morales
can't wait to watch this we appreciate you and you can watch Natalie's of course you can watch Natalie's report
tracking the killer of Mary Katherine Edwards on 48 hours tomorrow night at 109 Central here on CBS and streaming of
course on Paramount Plus

The 1995 murder of beloved teacher Mary Catherine Edwards has always haunted the city of Beaumont, Texas. This week's "48 Hours" has the remarkable story of how a husband and wife detective team and genealogist were able to track down the suspect in Ohio decades later.

Each weekday morning, "CBS Mornings" co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson bring you the latest breaking news, smart conversation and in-depth feature reporting. "CBS Mornings" airs weekdays at 7 a.m. on CBS and stream it at 8 a.m. ET on the CBS News app.

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Brief Summary

A Texas teacher's 1995 murder is solved after 26 years using DNA and genetic genealogy, revealing a shocking connection to her killer.

Key points

Unsolved Murder of Mary Katherine Edwards. A deep dive into the 1995 murder case that remained cold for decades, until recent advances in forensic science led to a breakthrough.
Shocking Connection Revealed. The murderer was someone Catherine Edwards knew, shocking everyone involved, including his ex-wife.
Emotional Family Testimony. Allison Edwards, Catherine's twin sister, gave emotional testimony at the trial, reflecting on what could have been.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It was an unusual crime scene.

Description of the crime scene during the investigation.

0:45WatchNov 8, 2024

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