Pivotal clue at crime scene helps investigators crack open cold case | Forensic Files

All right, we're going to begin with an inside look at 48 hours, an investigation into a decades old cold
case. This is back in June of 1993 when Jeanie Childs was found dead in her apartment in Minneapolis. No
fingerprints, no DNA matches, and the case went cold. But footprints left at the crime scene eventually led police to
her killer. Aaron Morardi gives us an early look at her 48 hours report. On June 13th,
1993, Minnesota crime scene investigators were called to a Minneapolis high-rise where 35-year-old
Jeanie Childs had been found stabbed to death in her apartment. Retired forensic
scientist Bart Epstein. I looked down. I could see the imprint in blood that looked like a left foot and a right
foot. It's an actual bare foot. I mean, wow. The footprints were dusted with black powder at the crime scene. When
you first saw these, you said because she's wearing socks, these belong to the killer. That would be my feeling. That's
most likely the perpetrator's footprint. Along with the footprints, investigators
collected unknown DNA from the bedroom and bathroom, but found no match. WCCCO TV reporter Jennifer Merrill. They hit a
dead end at some point and moved on. And it wasn't until 2015 that a cold case unit reopened the case. In 2015,
additional testing of the evidence collected back in 1993 determined an unknown DNA profile
was found throughout the crime scene. A few years later, that profile was uploaded onto a genealogy website
leading to a man named Jerry Westerm. Jerry Westerm is a husband, a father, a businessman. He attended church. He was
a hockey dad. People were surprised. DNA linked Westerrom to Jeanie's apartment,
but he denied killing her. And 48 Hours legal consultant Julie Rendleman points out that Wester's DNA was not the only
DNA recovered at the crime scene. Jeanie had been a sex worker. There was DNA from other individuals that did not
belong to Jerry Westerm, but clearly belonged to a male source. How important did those footprints in blood become in
this case? Without the footprints, we would not be sitting here. I think that the footprints defined the path of this
case. Aaron Morerti joins us now. Aaron, so great to have you here. Barefoot killer.
That's a new one for me, especially in Minneapolis. It was June, but yeah, you know, you just don't see that happen
very often. It's rare. It's rare. So, but the fact that there were multiple DNA profiles there, how did that
complicate things for investigators? Well, because yes, that DNA, the fact there was a hit and connected Jerry
Westerm means that he was likely in that apartment at some time, but you can't date DNA. And so, there was other DNA.
There's actually DNA on her purple panties that was never been identified. So, that was complicated. And that's why
those footprints became so crucial in this case because those footprints were left in her blood. So that meant they
were left by somebody who either killed her or came right afterwards. So speaking of footprints, are footprints
like handprints and fingerprints and toe prints? Are they all the same? Well, that was so interesting. So the experts
say that we all have that friction ridge skin on our fingers and it's also on the
bottom of our feet. But because experts run into it so rarely, the state expert had only seen it one other time. There's
no large database. They say it's the same. It it's it was really an interesting your feet when you're bored
and that's about it. Yeah. It's like they'll take fingerprints when you apply for a job and that goes in a database,
but they don't take our footprints. Really interesting. Eron, thank you very much. I need to know what happened.
Well, you can. I will. You can watch 48 hours report the footprint tomorrow night at 10:9 central here on CBS and
streaming on Paramount Plus.

In 1993, police were called to a Minneapolis apartment where 35-year-old Jeanie Childs had been found stabbed to death. Investigators tell "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty a clue left at the crime scene became the key to solving the cold case.

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Brief Summary

The episode investigates Jeanie Childs' 1993 murder, focusing on crucial footprints and DNA evidence linking Jerry Westerm to the crime.

Key points

The Cold Case Reopened. In 2015, a cold case unit reopened the investigation into Jeanie Childs' murder, leading to new DNA findings.
The Barefoot Killer. Footprints left at the crime scene became crucial evidence linking the killer to the murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Without the footprints, we would not be sitting here.

Highlighting the importance of the footprints in solving the case.

2:13WatchMay 16, 2025

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