Michigan police say they have used genealogical sleuthing to finally solve the cold-case murder of Cathy Swartz, a 19-year-old who was stabbed, beaten, and strangled while her 9-month-old baby was in the next room. The killer left behind fingerprints, a footprint and blood in 1988, but they weren’t a match to any DNA on record. Fast forward three decades, and authorities can now use a DNA sample to find someone through their family tree, providing relatives are part of common databases. That’s how investigators say they were led to Robert Waters, 53, now living in South Carolina—and now facing extradition.
