1 00:00:02,116 --> 00:00:06,233 ♪♪ 2 00:00:06,266 --> 00:00:09,366 Narrator: Up next, a young couple's road trip 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,150 ends in murder. 4 00:00:11,183 --> 00:00:15,216 That wasn't long before everything turned to hell. 5 00:00:15,250 --> 00:00:19,200 What was done to them was so horrifying. 6 00:00:19,233 --> 00:00:21,300 Narrator: Police have plenty of evidence 7 00:00:21,333 --> 00:00:24,133 but can't connect their victims to a killer. 8 00:00:24,166 --> 00:00:27,183 Where did they cross paths, and what exactly happened? 9 00:00:27,216 --> 00:00:30,166 Narrator: Those questions finally get answered 10 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,350 after technology available to anyone on the Internet 11 00:00:34,383 --> 00:00:37,233 breaks the case wide open. 12 00:00:37,266 --> 00:00:46,250 ♪♪ 13 00:00:46,283 --> 00:00:55,216 ♪♪ 14 00:00:55,250 --> 00:00:57,383 In the summer of 1987, 15 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,183 a young Canadian couple had just started dating. 16 00:01:01,216 --> 00:01:03,160 Jay Cook was 20. 17 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:06,366 His girlfriend, Tanya Van Cuylenborg, was 18. 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,166 Van Cuylenborg: They both went to Oak Bay High, 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:11,266 but they weren't in the same year at school, 20 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:14,116 and so it was through some mutual friends they met. 21 00:01:14,150 --> 00:01:17,233 Baanstra: Jay was 6'4", broad shoulders, 22 00:01:17,266 --> 00:01:19,116 very lean, very handsome. 23 00:01:19,150 --> 00:01:26,133 Both Jay and Tanya were quiet, sweet, loving people. 24 00:01:26,166 --> 00:01:28,200 ♪♪ 25 00:01:28,233 --> 00:01:31,166 Narrator: Jay's father owned a furnace business 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,383 and in November, asked the couple 27 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,366 if they could drive from Victoria, Canada, to Seattle 28 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,000 to pick up some parts from a client. 29 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:42,233 This may have been the first prolonged trip 30 00:01:42,266 --> 00:01:45,830 that they'd taken overnight out of the country. 31 00:01:45,116 --> 00:01:49,133 Narrator: Jay and Tanya were using Jay's family van. 32 00:01:49,166 --> 00:01:52,660 The trip was just over 100 miles, 33 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:54,350 but since they had to take a couple of ferries, 34 00:01:54,383 --> 00:01:57,330 it was going to take some time. 35 00:01:57,660 --> 00:02:01,100 So instead of rushing home, they planned to stay overnight 36 00:02:01,133 --> 00:02:03,500 once they got to Seattle. 37 00:02:03,830 --> 00:02:06,660 My dad had given them enough money to stay in a hotel. 38 00:02:06,100 --> 00:02:09,366 As it turned out, they chose to save that money 39 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,183 and sleep in the van instead. 40 00:02:12,216 --> 00:02:14,216 Narrator: Jay and Tanya didn't make it 41 00:02:14,250 --> 00:02:16,366 to the next morning's appointment. 42 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,333 They didn't call the client, and they didn't call home. 43 00:02:20,366 --> 00:02:22,333 No one knew where they were. 44 00:02:22,366 --> 00:02:25,150 My parents were very concerned right away, 45 00:02:25,183 --> 00:02:28,300 by that afternoon, that something was amiss. 46 00:02:28,333 --> 00:02:30,100 Narrator: Days passed. 47 00:02:30,133 --> 00:02:33,233 Police on both sides of the border mounted searches. 48 00:02:33,266 --> 00:02:35,316 So did Jay and Tanya's families. 49 00:02:35,350 --> 00:02:38,383 My dad had an acquaintance who had a small airplane. 50 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,350 They did a flyover of the Olympic peninsula 51 00:02:41,383 --> 00:02:43,283 and out towards the cascade mountains, 52 00:02:43,316 --> 00:02:46,116 just sort of looking for the needle in the haystack. 53 00:02:46,150 --> 00:02:48,183 Unfortunately, it didn't turn up anything. 54 00:02:48,216 --> 00:02:52,330 Narrator: Six days after Jay and Tanya left Canada, 55 00:02:52,660 --> 00:02:55,000 a man collecting cans in a rural area 56 00:02:55,330 --> 00:03:00,330 about 80 miles from Seattle found the body of a young woman. 57 00:03:00,660 --> 00:03:03,266 She had been shot execution-style 58 00:03:03,300 --> 00:03:05,830 in the back of the head. 59 00:03:05,116 --> 00:03:08,383 A .380-caliber shell casing was nearby. 60 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,200 Plastic zip ties, presumably used to restrain the victim, 61 00:03:13,233 --> 00:03:14,316 were found near the body. 62 00:03:14,350 --> 00:03:18,330 All indications were she had been raped. 63 00:03:18,660 --> 00:03:21,500 Narrator: Family members identified the victim 64 00:03:21,830 --> 00:03:23,160 as Tanya Van Cuylenborg. 65 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:25,300 We were, you know, just dumbstruck with grief 66 00:03:25,333 --> 00:03:28,166 of the fact that this was the end result for Tanya. 67 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,250 I mean, we were just bewildered. 68 00:03:30,283 --> 00:03:35,116 Narrator: For now, the big question was, where was Jay? 69 00:03:35,150 --> 00:03:39,350 The answer came 48 hours later, on Thanksgiving Day. 70 00:03:39,383 --> 00:03:41,283 When Jay's body was found, 71 00:03:41,316 --> 00:03:46,100 there was a ligature around his neck of twine and dog collars. 72 00:03:46,133 --> 00:03:49,500 He had tissue and a pack of cigarettes 73 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:51,133 stuffed down his throat, 74 00:03:51,166 --> 00:03:54,233 and he had been beaten in the head with rocks. 75 00:03:54,266 --> 00:03:58,183 Narrator: Jay's body was located about 70 miles away 76 00:03:58,216 --> 00:04:00,316 from where Tanya was found. 77 00:04:00,350 --> 00:04:02,166 He'd been strangled. 78 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:08,183 The boy who found my brother's body was 24 at the time. 79 00:04:08,216 --> 00:04:11,333 He's now in his 50s, and he remembers it 80 00:04:11,366 --> 00:04:14,830 and has carried it with him this whole time. 81 00:04:14,116 --> 00:04:18,830 Narrator: The plastic zip ties found with both victims 82 00:04:18,116 --> 00:04:21,133 indicated this was not a haphazard, 83 00:04:21,166 --> 00:04:23,166 spur-of-the-moment attack. 84 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,366 This was something that appeared to have been premeditated. 85 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,660 This person came equipped to commit this crime. 86 00:04:29,100 --> 00:04:30,333 Narrator: Who would do this? 87 00:04:30,366 --> 00:04:33,333 Jay and Tanya appear to have been targeted, 88 00:04:33,366 --> 00:04:36,316 but they didn't know anyone in the area. 89 00:04:36,350 --> 00:04:38,366 Tanya -- I mean, I couldn't even imagine her 90 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,316 coming close to having enemies of this sort. 91 00:04:41,350 --> 00:04:44,266 Baanstra: We didn't know anybody that we could even dream 92 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:47,200 of doing this kind of damage to someone. 93 00:04:47,233 --> 00:04:54,000 ♪♪ 94 00:04:57,283 --> 00:05:00,330 Narrator: When detectives finally located 95 00:05:00,660 --> 00:05:03,660 the van Jay and Tanya had driven from Canada, 96 00:05:03,100 --> 00:05:04,383 they were hopeful evidence in the van 97 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,216 would point to the killer. 98 00:05:06,250 --> 00:05:10,383 That same day, near a tavern a short distance from the van, 99 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,100 police found personal items belonging to Tanya. 100 00:05:15,133 --> 00:05:19,266 Detectives now had four separate crime scenes -- 101 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:23,100 the spots where Tanya and Jay's bodies were found, 102 00:05:23,133 --> 00:05:25,383 Jay's van, and the tavern. 103 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,183 There were components of each crime scene 104 00:05:28,216 --> 00:05:31,166 that were connected both to Jay and Tanya 105 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,300 but also from scene to scene. 106 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:35,266 Narrator: The key items were 107 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:39,233 ammunition for a .380-caliber firearm, 108 00:05:39,266 --> 00:05:43,366 which was consistent with the gun used to kill Tanya, 109 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,266 a partial palm print lifted from Jay's van 110 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:53,300 that didn't match either Jay or Tanya or any of Jay's family, 111 00:05:53,333 --> 00:05:56,166 dozens of plastic zip ties, 112 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,160 presumably used to bind both victims, 113 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:04,283 and among the various items of Tanya's clothing, 114 00:06:04,316 --> 00:06:06,216 one item stood out. 115 00:06:06,250 --> 00:06:08,133 Scharf: They found Tanya's pants, 116 00:06:08,166 --> 00:06:12,350 which eventually were found to have semen on the pant leg. 117 00:06:12,383 --> 00:06:16,116 Narrator: They also took swabs from Tanya's body 118 00:06:16,150 --> 00:06:17,383 during her autopsy. 119 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,366 And so they kept some of the vaginal swabs, 120 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,200 and they retained them, frozen, in the laboratory. 121 00:06:24,233 --> 00:06:26,266 Narrator: But this was 1987, 122 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:30,830 and DNA science was in its infancy. 123 00:06:30,116 --> 00:06:35,133 In fact, the first-ever conviction using DNA evidence 124 00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:40,116 happened in England just weeks before Jay and Tanya's murders. 125 00:06:40,150 --> 00:06:43,133 Collins: When these murders happened in 1987, 126 00:06:43,166 --> 00:06:45,116 we weren't using DNA testing. 127 00:06:45,150 --> 00:06:48,330 It hadn't been brought into the lab yet. 128 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:51,500 Narrator: Despite being relatively unfamiliar 129 00:06:51,830 --> 00:06:55,133 with DNA technology, analysts realized 130 00:06:55,166 --> 00:06:58,200 they had potential evidence on their hands, 131 00:06:58,233 --> 00:07:02,316 and the sample on Tanya's pants looked particularly promising. 132 00:07:02,350 --> 00:07:04,266 Collins: The scientist at the time -- 133 00:07:04,300 --> 00:07:07,133 she cut that entire stain out, 134 00:07:07,166 --> 00:07:10,316 and she saved that stain and she preserved it in the crime lab. 135 00:07:10,350 --> 00:07:14,233 It was maintained in a freezer. 136 00:07:14,266 --> 00:07:16,660 Narrator: At this point, 137 00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:18,250 the physical evidence wasn't revealing 138 00:07:18,283 --> 00:07:22,183 anything about the killer or killers' identity. 139 00:07:22,216 --> 00:07:26,233 The case looked like it might stall before it really started. 140 00:07:26,266 --> 00:07:29,283 They looked at persons locally who had committed 141 00:07:29,316 --> 00:07:31,160 those kinds of crimes in the past. 142 00:07:31,500 --> 00:07:33,660 They looked at registered sex offenders. 143 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:34,333 Hutton: Why pick these two kids? 144 00:07:34,366 --> 00:07:38,160 There was no reason for anybody to commit 145 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:39,366 this horrible act against them. 146 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,660 And I think that's the big question, is why? 147 00:07:44,100 --> 00:07:46,350 Narrator: There were no answers to that question 148 00:07:46,383 --> 00:07:49,366 until there was a bizarre development. 149 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Someone, possibly the killer, 150 00:07:53,330 --> 00:07:56,830 reached out to Jay and Tanya's families. 151 00:07:56,116 --> 00:07:59,266 The families received handwritten notes and cards 152 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:02,250 from a person claiming to have been involved 153 00:08:02,283 --> 00:08:06,000 in the murder of Jay and Tanya, taunting the families, 154 00:08:06,330 --> 00:08:08,316 and these were letters that were postmarked from various cities, 155 00:08:08,350 --> 00:08:10,383 from New York to L.A. to Seattle. 156 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:12,183 One of the letters reads, 157 00:08:12,216 --> 00:08:14,160 "Dear Mr. Cook, 158 00:08:14,500 --> 00:08:18,133 as someone who instinctively hates all Canadians, 159 00:08:18,166 --> 00:08:20,266 I couldn't pass up the opportunity 160 00:08:20,300 --> 00:08:22,350 to kill Jay and Tanya." 161 00:08:22,383 --> 00:08:25,233 They go on to say, "I'll do it again 162 00:08:25,266 --> 00:08:30,830 if another opportunity presents itself." 163 00:08:30,116 --> 00:08:32,100 Narrator: If this was the killer, 164 00:08:32,133 --> 00:08:36,333 detectives were at a loss as to why he'd risk exposure 165 00:08:36,366 --> 00:08:39,330 just to torment the families, 166 00:08:39,660 --> 00:08:42,830 especially since it didn't appear the killer 167 00:08:42,116 --> 00:08:43,316 even knew the victims. 168 00:08:43,350 --> 00:08:45,366 Van Cuylenborg: They were very disturbing, of course. 169 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,330 They were written in a manner to be to be unsettling, 170 00:08:49,660 --> 00:08:51,316 which they were because we were all uncertain, 171 00:08:51,350 --> 00:08:54,500 as were even the police, 172 00:08:54,830 --> 00:08:56,500 whether they were from the murderer or not. 173 00:08:56,830 --> 00:08:58,233 Narrator: The letters were handwritten 174 00:08:58,266 --> 00:09:01,366 with no apparent attempt at concealment. 175 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,500 Detectives hoped this bizarre cat-and-mouse game 176 00:09:06,830 --> 00:09:10,830 might finally lead them to who killed Jay and Tanya. 177 00:09:10,116 --> 00:09:12,133 There was some hope by investigators 178 00:09:12,166 --> 00:09:13,333 that maybe this was it. 179 00:09:13,366 --> 00:09:16,383 Maybe this was the break that they had been waiting for. 180 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:23,333 ♪♪ 181 00:09:26,250 --> 00:09:29,183 Narrator: In the weeks after a young Canadian couple 182 00:09:29,216 --> 00:09:32,266 were found murdered outside of Seattle, 183 00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:35,133 their families received anonymous letters 184 00:09:35,166 --> 00:09:38,200 from someone claiming credit for the crimes. 185 00:09:38,233 --> 00:09:41,283 Van Cuylenborg: The first ones arrived Christmas of 1987, 186 00:09:41,316 --> 00:09:43,660 and it continued, 187 00:09:43,100 --> 00:09:46,150 you know, seemingly every couple of months or so. 188 00:09:46,183 --> 00:09:49,233 There'd be either a letter or, like, a Father's Day card 189 00:09:49,266 --> 00:09:53,500 and a Mother's Day card to the parents -- very cruel. 190 00:09:53,830 --> 00:09:56,150 Narrator: In a possible break, they were handwritten -- 191 00:09:56,183 --> 00:09:59,000 a potential source of evidence. 192 00:09:59,330 --> 00:10:01,333 As much as they could do was handwriting analysis, 193 00:10:01,366 --> 00:10:05,330 so they had multiple letters and multiple exemplars 194 00:10:05,660 --> 00:10:07,183 for handwriting analysis. 195 00:10:07,216 --> 00:10:10,133 Narrator: The problem was that without suspects, 196 00:10:10,166 --> 00:10:13,366 there was no one to compare the handwriting to. 197 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,660 Details of the murders and excerpts from the letters 198 00:10:18,100 --> 00:10:20,133 were broadcast on television. 199 00:10:20,166 --> 00:10:23,366 Hundreds of tips poured in, but none panned out. 200 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,200 Baldock: I think one of the most frustrating aspects 201 00:10:26,233 --> 00:10:28,150 for investigators was, 202 00:10:28,183 --> 00:10:30,216 despite the number of leads that they had, 203 00:10:30,250 --> 00:10:33,350 none of them were really viable. 204 00:10:33,383 --> 00:10:38,350 Narrator: In 2003, improvements in DNA technology 205 00:10:38,383 --> 00:10:42,216 made it possible to identify a potential suspect 206 00:10:42,250 --> 00:10:46,660 from the male DNA taken from the crime scenes, 207 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:47,233 but who was it? 208 00:10:47,266 --> 00:10:50,150 Since it was an unknown person, 209 00:10:50,183 --> 00:10:54,233 we gave it the designation of individual "A," 210 00:10:54,266 --> 00:10:56,660 and that was all we knew. 211 00:10:56,100 --> 00:11:00,200 Narrator: By this time, CODIS, the national DNA database, 212 00:11:00,233 --> 00:11:02,660 was in full swing, 213 00:11:02,100 --> 00:11:05,150 but the DNA sample from individual "A" 214 00:11:05,183 --> 00:11:07,266 didn't match anyone in the system. 215 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:10,200 Years and years went by with no luck, 216 00:11:10,233 --> 00:11:12,500 no matches in the database. 217 00:11:12,830 --> 00:11:17,166 Narrator: In 2010, DNA analysts turned to the letters. 218 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:22,200 Using touch DNA, they were able to lift a genetic profile, 219 00:11:22,233 --> 00:11:26,366 but it did not match the DNA of individual "A." 220 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,200 In an attempt to generate more leads, 221 00:11:29,233 --> 00:11:33,166 copies of the letters were broadcast and published. 222 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,366 Amazingly, someone recognized the handwriting. 223 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,100 A potential suspect was finally identified and confronted. 224 00:11:42,133 --> 00:11:45,250 He readily admitted that he wrote the letters 225 00:11:45,283 --> 00:11:49,250 and apologized for doing so. 226 00:11:49,283 --> 00:11:51,383 Narrator: And the letter-writer's DNA 227 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,216 didn't match the DNA from the crime scenes. 228 00:11:55,250 --> 00:12:02,330 He was mentally ill, homeless, and was eliminated as a suspect. 229 00:12:02,660 --> 00:12:05,316 He never faced any charges in connection with the murders. 230 00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:10,283 I've heard of people inserting themselves into crimes, 231 00:12:10,316 --> 00:12:13,500 you know, especially people with some sort of mental illness 232 00:12:13,830 --> 00:12:14,250 or something like that, 233 00:12:14,283 --> 00:12:17,333 but this was about as extreme and strange 234 00:12:17,366 --> 00:12:19,300 a case as you could imagine. 235 00:12:19,333 --> 00:12:21,250 ♪♪ 236 00:12:21,283 --> 00:12:24,133 Narrator: Dumbstruck and disappointed, 237 00:12:24,166 --> 00:12:27,116 detectives were back to square one. 238 00:12:27,150 --> 00:12:30,250 Though tips and leads kept coming in, 239 00:12:30,283 --> 00:12:32,660 there was a real possibility 240 00:12:32,100 --> 00:12:36,830 that Jay and Tanya's killer would never be found. 241 00:12:36,116 --> 00:12:38,133 Van Cuylenborg: It was an open wound 242 00:12:38,166 --> 00:12:40,000 that really couldn't heal. 243 00:12:40,330 --> 00:12:42,233 It's very hard to not have any answers. 244 00:12:42,266 --> 00:12:46,383 As a family, we still talked about Jay a lot. 245 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:50,266 We tried really hard to not think about the fact 246 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:52,660 that he had been murdered. 247 00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:54,830 We just tried to think of him as gone. 248 00:12:54,116 --> 00:12:56,216 This case is one of those cases 249 00:12:56,250 --> 00:12:59,283 that just really sticks with you. 250 00:12:59,316 --> 00:13:02,150 Nobody wanted to give up on this case. 251 00:13:02,183 --> 00:13:05,000 Narrator: Luckily, the lead investigator, 252 00:13:05,330 --> 00:13:09,133 Jim Scharf, was a man who knew more than most people 253 00:13:09,166 --> 00:13:12,216 about working a cold case. 254 00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:16,216 I've mentioned to people before that if anything happens to me, 255 00:13:16,250 --> 00:13:18,350 I want him to investigate 256 00:13:18,383 --> 00:13:21,830 what -- you know, try to find the perpetrator. 257 00:13:21,116 --> 00:13:25,350 Narrator: In 2018, the alleged Golden State Killer 258 00:13:25,383 --> 00:13:30,000 was finally behind bars, thanks, said prosecutors, 259 00:13:30,330 --> 00:13:34,216 to a new forensic tool called genetic genealogy. 260 00:13:34,250 --> 00:13:37,350 We knew we could and should solve it 261 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:40,383 using the most innovative 262 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,216 DNA technology available at this time. 263 00:13:44,250 --> 00:13:48,100 Narrator: The question now was whether that science 264 00:13:48,133 --> 00:13:51,350 could reveal who killed Jay and Tanya. 265 00:13:51,383 --> 00:13:58,133 ♪♪ 266 00:14:01,350 --> 00:14:03,366 Narrator: In the spring of 2018, 267 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,233 the suspected Golden State Killer 268 00:14:06,266 --> 00:14:10,150 was finally arrested, accused in a crime spree 269 00:14:10,183 --> 00:14:14,266 that had terrorized California for almost a generation. 270 00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:17,233 What ultimately brought him to justice 271 00:14:17,266 --> 00:14:20,300 was a new type of forensic technology. 272 00:14:20,333 --> 00:14:23,330 The Golden State Killer suspect was arrested 273 00:14:23,660 --> 00:14:24,366 thanks to genetic genealogy. 274 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,330 Narrator: Genetic genealogy is an offshoot 275 00:14:28,660 --> 00:14:33,100 of the consumer genomics boom that started in 2013, 276 00:14:33,133 --> 00:14:36,283 when people began using DNA and the web 277 00:14:36,316 --> 00:14:39,100 to explore their family histories. 278 00:14:39,133 --> 00:14:42,000 The purpose of traditional genetic genealogy 279 00:14:42,330 --> 00:14:45,266 is to identify our long-dead ancestors. 280 00:14:45,300 --> 00:14:49,133 Narrator: And it turns out it can also be used 281 00:14:49,166 --> 00:14:51,133 to solve crimes. 282 00:14:51,166 --> 00:14:55,383 The DNA databases used by consumers don't operate 283 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,160 in the same way as law-enforcement databases 284 00:14:59,500 --> 00:15:00,216 like CODIS. 285 00:15:00,250 --> 00:15:03,116 Moore: In CODIS, you're looking for that exact match, 286 00:15:03,150 --> 00:15:06,183 but in genetic genealogy, we can go way beyond that 287 00:15:06,216 --> 00:15:09,330 and use those hundreds of thousands of markers 288 00:15:09,660 --> 00:15:12,116 to predict second, third, fourth cousins and beyond. 289 00:15:12,150 --> 00:15:15,116 Narrator: However, there are serious concerns 290 00:15:15,150 --> 00:15:19,366 about law enforcement having access to the DNA of people 291 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,200 who have never committed a crime. 292 00:15:22,233 --> 00:15:27,266 That problem can be resolved if people are told their DNA 293 00:15:27,300 --> 00:15:30,300 is going to databases used by police, 294 00:15:30,333 --> 00:15:34,100 which is exactly what a company called GEDmatch did. 295 00:15:34,133 --> 00:15:37,200 GEDmatch posted a notification on their site alerting 296 00:15:37,233 --> 00:15:40,316 their users that law enforcement was using the database, 297 00:15:40,350 --> 00:15:43,660 and that was what I needed to allow me 298 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,116 to finally make the decision to help law enforcement. 299 00:15:46,150 --> 00:15:51,330 Narrator: In 2018, investigators took the DNA profile 300 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:53,100 from Jay and Tanya's case 301 00:15:53,133 --> 00:15:56,500 and put it into the GEDmatch system. 302 00:15:56,830 --> 00:15:58,166 Moore: What I'm looking at is a list of people 303 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:02,183 who share significant amounts of DNA with the unknown suspect. 304 00:16:02,216 --> 00:16:04,500 I'm hoping to get people 305 00:16:04,830 --> 00:16:07,300 who share around 3% of their DNA or higher. 306 00:16:07,333 --> 00:16:09,216 That would be second cousins. 307 00:16:09,250 --> 00:16:11,250 Narrator: Once these distant relatives 308 00:16:11,283 --> 00:16:15,100 of a possible suspect were identified, 309 00:16:15,133 --> 00:16:19,660 Cece Moore turned to more traditional methods -- 310 00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:23,266 things like public records and obituary pages. 311 00:16:23,300 --> 00:16:26,166 So, in this way, I'm reverse-engineering 312 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,233 the family tree of the suspect 313 00:16:28,266 --> 00:16:32,150 from the people's family trees that he shares DNA with. 314 00:16:32,183 --> 00:16:34,283 Narrator: In Jay and Tanya's murder case, 315 00:16:34,316 --> 00:16:37,200 high-tech -- genetic genealogy -- 316 00:16:37,233 --> 00:16:41,283 and low tech -- searches of public records -- 317 00:16:41,316 --> 00:16:44,366 led investigators to a Seattle-based family 318 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,233 with four children. 319 00:16:46,266 --> 00:16:48,166 Three of those children were female, 320 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,330 so I knew they couldn't be the suspect, 321 00:16:50,660 --> 00:16:54,330 and there was only one son, so there was only one person 322 00:16:54,660 --> 00:16:56,350 who was carrying the correct mix of DNA. 323 00:16:56,383 --> 00:17:01,300 And so the genealogist said that the perpetrator has to be 324 00:17:01,333 --> 00:17:04,383 that male child. 325 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,000 Narrator: That person was William Talbott, 326 00:17:08,330 --> 00:17:11,200 who was 24 years old at the time of the murders. 327 00:17:11,233 --> 00:17:14,330 This was the first time that I'd ever heard the name 328 00:17:14,660 --> 00:17:15,133 William Talbott. 329 00:17:15,166 --> 00:17:18,330 He was not in the case file anywhere. 330 00:17:18,660 --> 00:17:22,366 His family home was just about 7 miles down the road 331 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:24,316 from where Jay's body was found. 332 00:17:24,350 --> 00:17:27,383 Narrator: Talbott, a never-married truck driver, 333 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:32,166 had no criminal record, so his DNA wasn't in CODIS, 334 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,366 the genetic database used by law enforcement. 335 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,216 Investigators needed a sample of Talbott's DNA 336 00:17:39,250 --> 00:17:42,250 to either expose or eliminate him 337 00:17:42,283 --> 00:17:45,333 as a suspect in Jay and Tanya's murder. 338 00:17:45,366 --> 00:17:47,316 Collins: They were having a really hard time 339 00:17:47,350 --> 00:17:49,383 getting a piece of evidence from him. 340 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:51,366 Narrator: But, eventually, Talbott, 341 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:53,250 who, after all this time, 342 00:17:53,283 --> 00:17:56,383 had no idea detectives were following him, 343 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,266 discarded a paper coffee cup, 344 00:17:59,300 --> 00:18:03,250 which was seized and immediately tested for DNA. 345 00:18:03,283 --> 00:18:07,250 Detectives and analysts waited as their case, 346 00:18:07,283 --> 00:18:12,183 now more than 30 years old, hung in the balance. 347 00:18:12,216 --> 00:18:14,266 As I'm going along through the series of markers, 348 00:18:14,300 --> 00:18:19,116 they're matching, and so it's almost like winning a lottery, 349 00:18:19,150 --> 00:18:22,000 and you're saying, "Okay, that's a match. 350 00:18:22,330 --> 00:18:23,133 That's a match." 351 00:18:23,166 --> 00:18:26,233 Scharf: The odds of this not being William Talbott 352 00:18:26,266 --> 00:18:29,333 was 1 in 180 quadrillion. 353 00:18:29,366 --> 00:18:36,183 You would have to have 36 million planets 354 00:18:36,216 --> 00:18:39,183 with the same population as Earth 355 00:18:39,216 --> 00:18:43,333 to find William Talbott with that DNA profile. 356 00:18:43,366 --> 00:18:46,000 Narrator: Old-fashioned forensics 357 00:18:46,330 --> 00:18:48,250 also sealed Talbott's fate. 358 00:18:48,283 --> 00:18:51,250 His palm print matched the partial palm print 359 00:18:51,283 --> 00:18:55,316 lifted from Jay's van way back in 1987. 360 00:18:55,350 --> 00:19:00,316 The evidence tells the story, or at least part of it. 361 00:19:00,350 --> 00:19:05,160 Police say Talbott was a rapist hunting for a victim. 362 00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:08,283 Police think he may have befriended Jay and Tanya 363 00:19:08,316 --> 00:19:11,350 or may have threatened them at gunpoint. 364 00:19:11,383 --> 00:19:13,266 They ended up in Jay's van, 365 00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:17,830 and once they were under the gun, they were helpless. 366 00:19:17,116 --> 00:19:19,333 He tied them up with the plastic zip ties 367 00:19:19,366 --> 00:19:23,000 he'd brought along for just that purpose. 368 00:19:23,330 --> 00:19:27,350 Without knowing it, he left his DNA on those plastic ties. 369 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,283 He strangled Jay. 370 00:19:29,316 --> 00:19:34,283 Then he raped Tanya, creating even more DNA evidence. 371 00:19:34,316 --> 00:19:38,183 He shot Tanya and then disposed of both bodies 372 00:19:38,216 --> 00:19:41,000 at separate locations. 373 00:19:41,330 --> 00:19:44,300 At some point, amid all this activity, 374 00:19:44,333 --> 00:19:47,330 Talbott left a partial palm print 375 00:19:47,660 --> 00:19:48,233 on the back of the van. 376 00:19:48,266 --> 00:19:51,233 He really set out with a premeditated plan that day 377 00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:54,160 or that evening to carry out some -- 378 00:19:54,500 --> 00:19:57,216 some form of heinous crime, which, unfortunately, he did 379 00:19:57,250 --> 00:20:01,000 and just somehow crossed paths with Tanya and Jay. 380 00:20:01,330 --> 00:20:03,283 Narrator: In June of 2019, 381 00:20:03,316 --> 00:20:07,366 William Talbott was convicted of aggravated murder 382 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,233 and sentenced to two consecutive life terms 383 00:20:11,266 --> 00:20:14,166 without the possibility of parole. 384 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,183 His case is a forensic first. 385 00:20:17,216 --> 00:20:19,383 The suspected Golden State Killer 386 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:26,000 was exposed by genetic genealogy and is awaiting trial. 387 00:20:26,330 --> 00:20:29,100 In Talbott's case, in a legal precedent, 388 00:20:29,133 --> 00:20:33,266 the genetic genealogy evidence was presented to a jury 389 00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:36,500 and helped put him behind bars. 390 00:20:36,830 --> 00:20:38,200 This is a game-changer for investigators, 391 00:20:38,233 --> 00:20:40,350 for forensic scientists, for prosecutors. 392 00:20:40,383 --> 00:20:43,366 Genetic genealogy is the best crime-fighting tool 393 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,100 that's come along since DNA came along. 394 00:20:47,133 --> 00:20:48,316 Moore: In Jay and Tanya's case, 395 00:20:48,350 --> 00:20:52,233 genetic genealogy was able to develop a suspect 396 00:20:52,266 --> 00:20:55,100 who had never even been considered previously. 397 00:20:55,133 --> 00:20:58,100 William Earl Talbott really was the first good suspect 398 00:20:58,133 --> 00:21:02,216 they ever had in all these years of investigating the case.