DNA Sleuthing IDs Woman Found Dead Along Highway in 1996
Juana Rosas-Zagal was a 41-year-old mother of four.
Riverside County District Attorney
In yet another example of genetic sleuthing breaking open a cold case, a murdered woman found along a California highway in 1996 has been identified as a mother of four. Juana Rosas-Zagal’s daughters had nearly given up hope of ever finding out what happened to the 41-year-old when investigators using her DNA and genealogical databases came knocking. “He destroyed my family. He didn’t kill only one person. He killed all of us,” one of Rosas-Zagal’s daughters said of her killer in a video played at a police press conference. Police said they are hoping that the identification will lead them to a suspect.
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