News

Authorities Arrest Multi-State Rapist in Oklahoma After Years-long Investigation
— Texas Department of Public Safety, Mar 10, 2026

Hunter Mackey, 27, was arrested in connection with two sexual assaults committed in Texas and Oklahoma in 2021 following a years-long, multi-state investigation coordinated by the Texas Rangers and supported by multiple partner agencies. The case began after a North Texas woman reported being sexually assaulted by a man she met on social media, with DNA evidence later submitted to CODIS revealing a potential link to a similar assault in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Early investigative efforts including interagency collaboration and a familial DNA search were pursued but initially proved unsuccessful, leaving both cases unsolved. In 2024, evidence from the Oklahoma case was re-examined through the DOJ-funded Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), leading to advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy that identified Mackey as the suspect. He was arrested by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation on February 17, 2026, in McLoud, Oklahoma, and is currently being held in the Pottawatomie County Jail.

Man sentenced to life in prison for 1994 Charlotte rape
— Hank Lee, WCNC, Mar 6, 2026

On March 5, 2026, after a strong presentation by prosecutors Stephanie Ramdat and Ruffin Sykes, James Wayne Ingersoll was sentenced to life in prison for 1st-degree rape and an additional 25 years for 1st-degree burglary, to be served consecutively, for a crime committed more than 31 years earlier. The trial included testimony from the victim, Beverly, now 71, as well as responding officers, medical professionals, a neighbor, a former inmate, and a CMPD crime lab expert. The case stemmed from a 1994 attack in which Beverly, then 39, was assaulted in her Charlotte home by an unknown intruder who threatened her with a sharp object, raped her, and remained in the apartment until she escaped through a window to seek help. Although the case went cold for decades, advances in DNA technology eventually produced a male profile that matched evidence from a 2018 South Carolina kidnapping and sexual assault case. Forensic genetic genealogy in 2019 identified Ingersoll as a suspect, and subsequent investigation and DNA confirmation linked him to both crimes, leading to his arrest and ultimate conviction.

Cold Case Solved in Idaho
— Valley County Sheriff's Office, Feb 22, 2026

In 2005, a woman reported a sexual assault to the Valley County Sheriff’s Office, but she could not identify the attacker or pinpoint the exact location. Investigators collected biological evidence that produced a DNA profile of an unknown male, yet no leads emerged and the case went inactive. In 2022, Idaho State Police received federal SAKI grant funding to apply advanced DNA technology to cold cases. The ISP SAKI Cold Case Unit reviewed the old DNA profile and used forensic investigative genetic genealogy to generate new leads. A Valley County detective spent about a year following these leads, including traveling out of state to gather additional DNA samples and conduct interviews. This work identified a person of interest who had already died. DNA testing of the individual’s relatives ultimately confirmed—beyond a reasonable doubt—that he was the likely perpetrator.

DNA reveals another victim of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister
— Jake McDaniel, WIBC, Nov 5, 2025

Roger Goodlet, missing since 1994, has been conclusively identified as one of the victims found on suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister’s Fox Hollow Farm property, thanks to new DNA analysis that confirms an earlier dental-record match from 1996. His identification adds to the growing list of victims—now at least ten—being named as investigators continue sorting through nearly 10,000 bone fragments recovered from the estate, where authorities believe up to 25 people were killed. Baumeister, suspected of targeting gay men in the Indianapolis area, died by suicide in 1996 before he could be questioned, leaving decades of work for forensic teams who are only now able to restore names to long-unidentified remains.

Man arrested in 1998 murder of Strasburg woman; baby daughter still missing
— potomaclocal.com, Sep 29, 2025

"After 27 years, Virginia State Police have made an arrest in the cold case murder of Sylena Jo Dalton, who was found stabbed to death in her Strasburg apartment in 1998. State police say the breakthrough came thanks to years of investigative work, advanced crime analysis, and help from several agencies—including the Shenandoah County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative."

Former Security Guard Sentenced to 16 Years for 2015 Rape at Portland Rite Aid
— Tyler Francke, Sep 28, 2025

"A former security guard who raped a woman inside a Portland Rite Aid store in 2015 was sentenced Friday to more than 16 years in prison, closing a case that lingered for nearly a decade.The case was revived under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a federal grant program that funds advanced testing for previously untested rape kits. The new testing provided the evidence needed to pursue charges against Cassinelli. “This was an incredibly unlikely scenario for someone like Ms. Stott to get justice,” said Deputy District Attorney Quinn Zemel. He noted the initiative has made it possible to prosecute cases once considered unsolvable."

Man convicted in multiple DeKalb rapes from 1986
— Sam Daniel, yahoo.com, Sep 20, 2025

"A DeKalb County jury found Jeffrey Briney, 61, guilty on multiple charges related to two violent home invasions and sexual assaults that occurred in 1986, according to prosecutors. The charges include four counts of rape, seven counts of kidnapping, seven counts of aggravated assault, five counts of attempted armed robbery, two counts of armed robbery, one count of aggravated sodomy and three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The cases remained unsolved until 2023, when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation sent previously untested rape kits to a private lab as part of a statewide sexual assault kit initiative. DNA from one of the Briarwood victims matched Jeffrey Briney in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). His DNA was also linked to the Buford Highway case."

Man found guilty in 2005 sexual assault in Louisville
— Sarah Bolgan, WHAS11, Sep 16, 2025

"On Sept. 11, George Wayne Aldridge was convicted of rape (first degree) and sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to a Kentucky State Police news release. “This is why SAKI exists today. To resurrect cold cases that are, in some instances decades old by relying on cutting-edge DNA technology combined with the relentless pursuit to hold the evil doers accountable,” Wolcott said. “This case highlights the ability to incorporate a multi-disciplinary concept that achieves results never thought of until now. This victim deserved our best efforts and we delivered. Justice delayed is still justice served.”

‘28 years to see justice:’ DNA evidence leads to conviction in Cobb rape case
— WSBTV.com News Staff, Sep 14, 2025

"A man was convicted of multiple charges, including rape and kidnapping, nearly three decades after the crime occurred in Kennesaw, thanks to DNA evidence. The incident happened as the victim was leaving her apartment. The DA said, when she opened the door, she was met by an unknown man who threw a threw a jacket over her head, pushed her back into her apartment and assaulted her in the bedroom. He then made the victim clean herself, shower, and placed some of her clothing in the washing machine and then left. After police was notified, the victim was taken to Kennestone Hospital for a sexual assault kit exam. Despite initial investigations, the case went cold due to limitations in forensic technology at the time. In 2018, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative led to the retesting of the victim’s sexual assault kit, which revealed a male DNA profile. A subsequent CODIS hit in 2020 identified Pruitt as the suspect."

After 17 years, DNA tied a man to her rape. Under Massachusetts law, it was too late
— WBUR, By Todd Wallack, Willoughby Mariano, Sep 12, 2025

"Seventeen years had passed by the time Boston police knocked on Louise’s door to say they had identified the man who allegedly raped and stabbed her in October 2005.In late 2021, the Department of Justice initiative awarded Boston $2.5 million to reexamine up to 100 of the city’s most serious unsolved rapes. The funds paid a small group of investigators to comb through old case files to search for clues. The new team revisited Louise’s rape within months. This time they determined that her case and the North End rape were similar to earlier attacks, court records show."