- 1983 murder of 19-year-old Christina Castiglione.
- “The work that was done back in 1983 to preserve the evidence, to process the scene, was an outstanding effort by everybody that was at the scene, detectives as well as the responding deputies,” Sheriff Mike Murphy said.
- Cold case team evaluated the case.
- In March 2022, the Sheriff’s Office applied for and received grant funding through Season of Justice to conduct advanced DNA testing on the samples taken in 1983.
- In May 2022, DNA evidence from the case was sent to Othram Inc., a private forensic laboratory in Texas. Othram scientists used “forensic-grade genome sequencing” to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown suspect.
- Othram’s in-house genealogical team used the genealogical profile to produce leads. Othram returned the leads to the Livingston County Cold Case Team, which used the leads to continue following up on the this murder.
- Said Sheriff Murphy: “We are hopeful that the surviving family members of Christina Castiglione, along with victims and families of other violent unsolved crimes who have been awaiting justice for decades, experience closure as genealogical DNA continues to help law enforcement advance efforts to achieve justice for victims.”
As a reader observed: “Looks like Livingston County has no problem applying genealogy, even seeking grants, and investigating dead suspects. I guess they figure the victims and their families deserve the effort.”
And another DNA/genealogy success announced yesterday in a 52-year-old case:
https://www.aol.com/discarded-cigarette-butt-dna-tests-205835237.html
In 2019, a team of Burlington, VT, PD detectives, officers, technicians and others began working the case as though it had just happened. That’s how the killer, who died of a drug overdose in 1986, was identified and the case closed.
The evidence in the OCCK case may all be garbage. But you don’t know until you test the kids’ clothing (FOUR sets of clothing) and I mean using advanced DNA testing, not your standard state lab check-off-the-box tests. The public is owed an explanation as to why these tests have not been run or rerun and why there are/are not any answers. Ideally the families would be notified first, but that may be asking too much.