Meet the DNA "detective" who helped solve a decades-old cold case | Forensic Files

[Music] foreign [Music] but I'm also a pink haired tattooed mom from California who enjoys woodworking
and gardening Gabriella Vargas is a genetic genealogist probably one of the best in
the country if not the world foreign it was deemed unsolvable prior to my involvement
and I said well why don't you let me look at it I concluded that I did not stand with the others I believed that
this case was extremely solvable and I believe that I could solve it describe the size of the DNA material
that you had to work with it was 28 picograms so small that you could never see it with the the naked eye just a
speck of a speck of a speck the size of a human cell small amount of DNA it tells me where their ancestral
Origins come from are they Eastern European are they Mediterranean are they African-American and what was the race
of this person Caucasian they can choose to opt into law enforcement matching if they do that I
can see if they are a match to my suspect how far back did you go in time uh one
side of the tree the ancestor was 1823 on the other side the top ancestor was 1797.
essentially what we're looking for amongst these matches are where they connect to each other and it led me to a
union couple this couple was born around 1920. based on that we can presume that they would
have kids around 1940 maybe 1950 it would have to be one of their children thank you
he's been involved in a lot of different things violent things violent things sexual deviant things you name it he's
probably been involved in it and you connect the DNA with someone who has a history of violent behavior and he got
yourself a suspect absolutely Roxanne Woods family was my motivation for working as hard and as
fast as I did they never gave up hope that one day Justice would be served they have a Facebook page
Janet Wood had made a post on the page one day Rock one day and I screamed out at the top of my lungs no today's your
day Rock today's your day foreign

In February 1987, Roxanne Wood was viciously murdered in her Niles, Michigan, home. DNA that was preserved from the scene helped crack the case more than three decades later.

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Brief Summary

Genetic genealogist Gabriella Vargas discusses solving cold cases using DNA analysis and the emotional impact on victims' families.

Key points

Gabriella Vargas: A Genetic Pioneer. Gabriella Vargas, a tattooed mom from California, is a leading genealogist.
The Challenge of DNA. Gabriella discusses the minuscule size of DNA she worked with.
Connecting the Dots. Gabriella traces ancestry back to a couple born around 1920.
A Family's Hope for Justice. The Woods family remains hopeful for justice in their case.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I believe that I could solve it.

Gabriella Vargas expresses her confidence in solving a case.

1:24WatchNov 12, 2022

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