Doe ID: 'Government Camp Jane Doe' Wanda Herr
DNA: ID
Episode 165 Doe ID: 'Government Camp Jane Doe' Wanda Herr In August, 1986, a human skull and some bones were found of Highway 26 near Government Camp, Oregon. There was nothing to help ID the victim, who the authorities believed was a female between the ages of 17 and 30. An expert believed that the skull had been there for as long as ten years, but some time later, that idea would be challenged. Eventually, DNA & genealogy would prove that 'Government Camp Jane Doe' was actually Wanda Ann Herr who was described as a "chronic runaway" and had last been seen by her family in...
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The Denver Four Part 2 of 2
DNA: ID
Episode 164 The Denver Four Part 2 of 2 This is part 2 of the Denver Four case. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, please stop now and go back and listen to that part first. To listen to every episode of DNA: ID ad-free and get other benefits, simply on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription. Of course, you can also support DNA: ID with a . Follow us on social media; find all of our social media links in one spot at our Linktree:
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The Denver Four Part 1 of 2
DNA: ID
Episode 164 The Denver Four Part 1 of 2 Four women were murdered in the Denver, CO area, three in 1980 and one in 1978, in crimes that remained unsolved – and unconnected – for decades. The victims had nothing in common, the circumstances varied widely. But modern DNA testing technology provided investigators with some very surprising information – and IGG tied it all together. They were looking for one man for all four murders – and those were not the sum total of his heinous crimes. Today’s episode is about one of the more depraved killers...
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Doe ID: Roberta Mumma
DNA: ID
Episode 163 Doe ID: Roberta Mumma In 1984, the decomposed remains of a woman wrapped in plastic were found in remote Wizard Wells, Jack County, TX. Experts posited that she was a young white woman, but without any identification, no fingerprints, and no corresponding missing persons reports, she could not be identified. Fast forward nearly 40 years – when IGG would be used on her bones to identify her as Roberta Mumma. Roberta hailed from the Lancaster, PA area and was believed to have died around age 25. Her death is considered a homicide, and the Jack County...
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Leslie Preer Part 2 of 2
DNA: ID
Episode 162 Leslie Preer Part 2 of 2 This is part 2, the conclusion of the Leslie Preer case. If you have not listened to part 1 yet, please stop now, and go back and listen to that part first. To listen to every episode of DNA: ID ad-free and get other benefits, simply on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription. Of course, you can also support DNA: ID with a . Follow us on social media; find all of our social media links in one spot at our Linktree:
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Leslie Preer Part 1 of 2
DNA: ID
Episode 162 Leslie Preer Part 1 of 2 Upscale Chevy Chase, MD does not see a lot of violent crime. But that changed in 2001, when loving wife and mom Leslie Preer was beaten to death in her own home in a shocking crime. Investigators could find no motive for the murder, but certain aspects of the crime scene directed investigators’ attention to Leslie’s husband as the prime suspect. After all, it was very unlikely that a stranger had broken into the house, killed Leslie, and attempted a clean-up. But they could not pin the crime on Carl Preer, and the case stalled. ...
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Doe ID: Wynona Michele
DNA: ID
Episode 161 Doe ID: Wynona Michele In 1990, Madison County IL authorities recovered the remains of a nude young woman in a soybean field. She had some articles of clothing and jewelry with her, but no identification. Investigators could not identify her, and she was buried in a church cemetery with a headstone that called her Jane Doe. But they had the foresight to retain some physical evidence, and with the advent of IGG, were able to use that evidence to locate living relatives of Jane Doe. She was Wynona Nadine Michel – but her identity is just part of the...
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Robin Lawrence
DNA: ID
Episode 160 Robin Lawrence In this shocking and heart-wrenching 1994 case, a young Northern Virginia mother is killed in her own in a vicious crime that shocked even seasoned members of law enforcement. Not only was the brutality breathtaking, but Robin’s 2 year old daughter was left with her mother’s corpse for two whole days. This case confounded Fairfax County police, because Robin had no enemies, yet the crime of passion clearly targeted her. A prime suspect emerged whom police were convinced did it, only to be disappointed by DNA results. It’s not an...
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Doe ID Carl Bryant
DNA: ID
Episode 159 Doe ID Carl Bryant Warning: this episode explicitly addresses child abuse and murder. In 1972, the brutally beaten body of a young child was found in a shallow creek in Fairfax County, VA. Little John Lorton Doe was unidentified and unclaimed, and was buried in a local cemetery by a church group. Investigators over the decades never forgot the little boy, and when cold case detective Melissa Wallace took on the case, she used mere iotas of rootless hairs, cutting edge DNA technology, and IGG to identify him as four year old Carl Matthew Bryant. But the story of...
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Bonus Episode: Robert Eugene Brashers Identified as Killer in Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
DNA: ID
This is a special bonus episode based on breaking news. Serial Killer Robert Eugene Brashers has been identified as the killer in the infamous 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, Texas. In that case, four teenage girls were shot execution style before the yogurt shop was set on fire. Killed in that case were 17 year old Jennifer Harbison, and her 15 year old sister Sarah Harbison. Also killed were 17 year old Eliza Thomas, and 13 year old Amy Ayers. DNA from the crime scene was connected to Robert Eugene Brashers who we covered back in episode 104 in the murders of Sherri and Megan...
info_outlineEpisode 149 Doe ID: Kay Adams Medin
In February 1993, a man walking along Trinidad Head; a rocky promontory beach area near the town of Trinidad in Humboldt County, California, made a shocking discovery. He found what he believed to be a piece of human skull. He contacted authorities who verified his hunch. DNA from the skull fragment would be entered into various databases in an effort to learn the identify of the donor with no luck. Years later, the skull fragment would be connected to another case through DNA.
In November, 1987, the Humboldt County Sheriff's dept received an package in the mail from an anonymous sender. It contained human skeletal remains and an accompanying letter provided directions to more human remains near Ammon Ridge Road in Humboldt County. Investigators went to the location, and found more human remains. An examination of teeth found with the remains confirmed that they belonged to 48 year old Kay Adams Medin. She had been reported missing from her Trinity County home by her husband in August 1987. The location in Humboldt County where her remains were found is over 100 miles away from her home.
Eventually, Othram Labs did DNA work on the skull fragment found in 1993 at Trinidad Head, and their work led them to ID the skull fragment as belonging to Kay Adams Medin. That skull fragment was found 45 miles from Kay's home. It remains a mystery as to how the skull fragment wound up so far away from the rest of Kay's remains. Theories include that it was carried by flowing water, or that a large bird may have carried it.
Police long suspected that Kay Adams was murdered by her husband Nikolas Medin, but they lacked the evidence to prove it. They theorize that he was the anonymous mailer of the package containing Kay's bones, and the letter directing police to more remains. They believe he only directed them to her remains, so she could be declared dead, and he could collect on her life insurance policy. Nikolas Medin died in 2018, and was never charged in connection with his wife's death. While Kay never got the justice she deserved, she at least got her name back, and this is her story.
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