South-Carolina
South Carolina man charged in 1988 Michigan killing using forensic genetic genealogy
A South Carolina man has been charged in a Michigan lady’s 1988 slaying after investigators used forensic genetic family tree to slim the pool of suspects to a single household, authorities stated Monday.
Robert Odell Waters, 53, was arrested Sunday afternoon in Beaufort, South Carolina, the place he lives, within the killing of Cathy Sue Swartz, St. Joseph County Prosecuting Lawyer David Martin stated.
The 19-year-old Swartz was overwhelmed, stabbed and strangled in December 1988 in her condo in Three Rivers, about 20 miles south of Kalamazoo close to the Michigan-Indiana border. Her 9-month-old daughter was within the subsequent room when her mom was killed, Three Rivers police stated.
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Martin stated Waters was formally charged with open homicide Sunday afternoon and he waived extradition to Michigan.
It was unclear whether or not Martin has an lawyer who may communicate on his behalf.
A South Carolina man was charged within the 1988 killing of a lady from Michigan.
On the time of Swartz’s killing, Martin stated that Waters lived in St. Joseph County in southwestern Michigan.
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Swartz’s slaying had lengthy remained a chilly case, regardless of blood, fingerprints and footprints discovered on the crime scene that investigators believed belonged to her killer.
However final yr, Three Rivers police, working with Michigan State Police and others have been in a position to make use of forensic genetic family tree to slim the suspect pool to a single household.
After investigators interviewed and fingerprinted members of that household and analyzed their DNA, officers recognized Waters as a suspect in Swartz’s killing. Detectives traveled to South Carolina to talk to Waters after which obtained a warrant from his arrest.
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“Whereas nothing can exchange the lack of Cathy Swartz, and the affect this mindless tragedy has had, we hope the identification and arrest of a suspect will carry some long-awaited closure to her household and mates,” Three Rivers Police Chief Scott Boling stated in a press release.