True, you’d want to link as much evidence as possible. However, it’s pretty clear that LE has been desperate to find *any* Zodiac DNA, which is what I’m getting at.
Certainly, a piece of Bennallack’s skin included with a confirmed Zodiac letter would put any doubt to rest. But the only DNA that’s ever been used to clear suspects is the 2002 partial profile. You never hear about Zodiac suspects being compared to the Bates DNA, either. This seemingly indicates that LE doesn’t consider either to be a Zodiac victim.
Of course, the million dollar question: why hasn’t Bennallack been solved by genealogy?
Of course, the million dollar question: why hasn’t Bennallack been solved by genealogy?
One can only hope they are working on it. Hopefully the blood from the crime scene could create a usable DNA profile, but it may forensically be more complicated than in the case of EARONS where semen from a crime scene had fortunately been deep frozen.
Could you post the article? Can’t read it as I’m in Europe.
Author: Madison Wade (ABC10)
Published: 9:24 PM PST November 6, 2020
Updated: 4:31 PM PST November 16, 2020
Retired Sacramento Sheriff’s detective returns to solve cold cases | Unsolved California
Detective Micki Links retired from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office but has since returned to volunteer her time to solve cold cases.
SACRAMENTO, Calif — When Detective Micki Links retired from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in 2010, she thought she was done working after dedicating 30 years to a job she was passionate about.
Links would soon be called back to work the Cold Case Investigations Homicide Unit, formed to solve cold cases dating back decades.
"I felt this need to come back and work them. I was invested in them," Links said.
Links now volunteers her time to solve cold cases. Many of them were cases she previously worked as a deputy or during her time on the sexual assault team.
"A cold case is a case that has been worked as much as it can be at the time," Links said.
"We have cases going back to the 60s," Links said.
They have more recent cases too. If the lead goes cold, the case follows.
"Currently now I’m working on a 1970 case, evidence is older," Links said.
On October 25, 1970, Nancy Bennallack was killed. Stabbed to death in her apartment.
"Nancy Bennallack was a court reporter and ready to get married," Links said.
She was last seen alive by her fiancé and her body was later found inside her apartment.
Links described it as a very violent scene. She has been involved in this case since 2005.
"If somebody knows something after all these years then maybe they are willing to tell us," Link said.
Links is solving these cases for justice but also for the families waiting for answers — like the Olvera family.
"We have a case, a 2001 case, where a man was killed in his home," Links said.
On October 11, 2001, Allan Olvera was found in his home, beaten to death. Several items were missing from the home as well. His case is unsolved.
"There are nights where I stay up and think about ‘What about this?’" Links said.
The unknowns are haunting but they drive Links and her team to find the truth. Just this year Links and her team solved the 1980 murder of Robin Brooks who was raped and murdered.
The cold case homicide unit successfully used genetic genealogy testing on DNA from the crime scene. Phillip Lee Wilson of North Sacramento was arrested earlier this year.
"He’s 71 years old. I don’t care how old you are, you still need to be held accountable," Links said.
This type of genealogy work is the same used to crack the Golden State killer case. The front page of the newspaper after confessed killer Joseph DeAngelo’s arrest hangs in their homicide bureau as a reminder, no case is ever too cold.
If you know anything about these cases or unsolved crimes, call the cold case investigations team at 916-874-5057.
Thanks. Good reason to think genetic genealogy is occurring with the Bennallack case.
8 months since the article, article doesn’t specify when the work began. That could mean they’re close, or lost in the woods.
Hopefully they kept the finger tape that Bennallack’s killer left at the crime scene. Touch DNA.
8 months since the article, article doesn’t specify when the work began. That could mean they’re close, or lost in the woods.
The identification of DeAngelo was a painstaking exercise even with a high quality DNA profile. Bennallack’s killer cut himself quite badly and left a trail of blood at the crime scene. I am hopeful genetic genealogy will succeed.
1. Take the watch found at CJB crime scene. Take the (body cell) smudge from below the watch. Put it into GED/DNA.
2. Use various Z letter’s DNA, from the envelopes/stamps, compare it to the one found in Riverside.
3. Arrest or unbury the suspect. If DNA is no match to SF/Vallejo, put suspect in jail for CJB.I really wonder what makes this case is so ‘complicated’. I might be wrong and it might be Ross’ or even Alan’s DNA but I just don’t get it. WTF is Riverside PD doing, actually? Opinions?
QT
Ive often wondered about the watch, you would think the wrist band would hold some type of DNA. The watch could have also been planted there.
I used to leave a couple of quarters in my mailbox with a letter that had no stamp. The mail man would simply put one one for me. If I was in town near a dropbox and didnt have a stamp, I would simply drop the letter in the mailbox with a paperclip holding the coins on. Im not sure if thats allowed today, but I know I did it in early 90s through 2010. Im assuming the mailman licked the stamps himself and attached to the envelope. Newer stamps have a sticky back, I havent licked a stamp in about 10 years. Im sure there are other scenarios that exist in which the letter writter never licked or touched the stamp or envelope.
Ive also often wondered whats under CJB fingernails. Was she buried or cremated? What condition his her body in, and could preserved DNA be on her somewhere.
Police are allowed to lie, and often do. I wouldnt be suprised if they had Zero DNA, and was just hoping the killer might turn himself in. Why would they announce to the public they put his DNA in GEDmatch, they didnt with GSK, they quietly did it. Sounds like the investigators are bluffing. Having prints out of taxi is like finding pubic hairs in public bathroom.
Mah-na Mah-na
The identification of DeAngelo was a painstaking exercise even with a high quality DNA profile. Bennallack’s killer cut himself quite badly and left a trail of blood at the crime scene. I am hopeful genetic genealogy will succeed.
I don’t think it took nearly this long to ID DeAngelo, though.
Now that we have a bunch of these solved cases, I wonder what the average time span is?
There’s also the problem that through investigation, more about the suspect is discovered and the case complexifies.
1. Take the watch found at CJB crime scene. Take the (body cell) smudge from below the watch. Put it into GED/DNA.
2. Use various Z letter’s DNA, from the envelopes/stamps, compare it to the one found in Riverside.
3. Arrest or unbury the suspect. If DNA is no match to SF/Vallejo, put suspect in jail for CJB.I really wonder what makes this case is so ‘complicated’. I might be wrong and it might be Ross’ or even Alan’s DNA but I just don’t get it. WTF is Riverside PD doing, actually? Opinions?
QT
Ive often wondered about the watch, you would think the wrist band would hold some type of DNA. The watch could have also been planted there.
I used to leave a couple of quarters in my mailbox with a letter that had no stamp. The mail man would simply put one one for me. If I was in town near a dropbox and didnt have a stamp, I would simply drop the letter in the mailbox with a paperclip holding the coins on. Im not sure if thats allowed today, but I know I did it in early 90s through 2010. Im assuming the mailman licked the stamps himself and attached to the envelope. Newer stamps have a sticky back, I havent licked a stamp in about 10 years. Im sure there are other scenarios that exist in which the letter writter never licked or touched the stamp or envelope.
Ive also often wondered whats under CJB fingernails. Was she buried or cremated? What condition his her body in, and could preserved DNA be on her somewhere.
Police are allowed to lie, and often do. I wouldnt be suprised if they had Zero DNA, and was just hoping the killer might turn himself in. Why would they announce to the public they put his DNA in GEDmatch, they didnt with GSK, they quietly did it. Sounds like the investigators are bluffing. Having prints out of taxi is like finding pubic hairs in public bathroom.
I think the Riverside DNA is mitochondrial. I don’t know if that can be submitted to genealogy site or not. There is a possibility that Zodiac didn’t have offspring or family with offspring, so maybe there are no hits from a genealogy site. For all we know, he was drafted and died in Vietnam (not that I think that happened, but it certainly could have).
I don’t think it took nearly this long to ID DeAngelo
True, but catching DeAngelo was no gimme even with his full DNA profile available. Because there was no reference DNA sample for DeAngelo, investigators had to look for his relatives who had public DNA profiles and then use tedious police work to narrow down their suspect pool from the web of relations. With a full DNA sample it took tons of work, and I am pretty sure the putative Zodiac DNA sample investigators posses is not even a full DNA profile.
That was too much!
I don’t think it took nearly this long to ID DeAngelo
True, but catching DeAngelo was no gimme even with his full DNA profile available. Because there was no reference DNA sample for DeAngelo, investigators had to look for his relatives who had public DNA profiles and then use tedious police work to narrow down their suspect pool from the web of relations. With a full DNA sample it took tons of work, and I am pretty sure the putative Zodiac DNA sample investigators posses is not even a full DNA profile.
Right, and even if it were a full profile, there may not be hits (if all of Zodiac’s relatives died before genealogy site became a thing and Zodiac died without offspring, that is likely to happen). If there are hits, there have to be relatives that know enough about the family history to help identify the Zodiac. If there are not good records, you could potentially get a hit off a distant family relative, but never be able to trace that hit back to a person who could be Zodiac. Even with a close family hit, the family may not be cooperative. With DeAngelo, police got a sample of his DNA to compare the EARONS sample. If Zodiac is dead, there may not be living relatives in close enough consanguinity to confirm a match. There are so many variables that I wouldn’t put a great deal of hope in DNA to solve the case.
