Join the genetic witness program.

Since 2018, over 1000 cases have been solved thanks to people who have uploaded their genealogical data to GEDmatch and chosen to be a genetic witness. Here’s how your genealogical data can help name the nameless and help solve cold cases:

Join the Genetic Witness Program

GEDmatch serves as a universal hub where data from any kit can be compared, significantly widening the search pool for investigators.  The above link addresses privacy concerns people might have. 

So far the OCCK investigation has established that inadequate storage of and general (and unforgivable) failure to care for the evidence in the most horrific unsolved cold case in Michigan may allow the case to continue in “open/unsolved” status in perpetuity.  I get it; there was no DNA testing in 1977.  But there is still no legitimate excuse for the handling of evidence in the OCCK case or the Chris Busch death under any forensic standard.  There is no excuse for the condition of the case file and the evidence as they passed this cold case from one detective to the next.  It is appalling.

But the 2010 FBI report on the testing of the hair evidence in this case is not nothing, especially because some of the hair evidence was extinguished during testing and even if the physical evidence that remained continued to degrade after that point.  After all, it’s been another 16 years of riding the file cabinet.  And forgive me if I doubt that anybody followed the instructions at the conclusion of this report:

FBI Report 1-8-2010

I have posted this document a number of times over the years.  It seems some have taken an interest in these mtDNA sequences over at GEDmatch and other “family tree” sites.

The more results people upload to GEDmatch, the better.  The specific instructions for doing so are in the video in the GEDmatch page linked above.  If you suspect a family member was involved in these crimes; if you are related to a priest who passed through metro Detroit in the 1970s; if you just want to help expand the data base to help identify Jane/John Doe homicide victims or bring answers in cold cases, please consider uploading your profile to GEDMatch.  In fact, you don’t have to be closely related to a possible suspect to help.  Very distant cousins can sometimes provide the missing link.

A word to the people who apparently provided a DNA sample to the MSP or the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department in relatively recent years.  Don’t kid yourself.  That is going nowhere.  Get your profile on GEDMatch where someone who is committed can continue to run family trees based on this 2010 report.  It may lead nowhere, but it may be all we end up having.  Like I said; the report is not nothing.

The elusive Y-str DNA in Kristine’s case (now you see it, now you don’t) is inherited from the paternal line, while mtDNA (the hair evidence) is traditionally understood to pass through the maternal line.  Therefore, both male and female relatives become important in the OCCK case.

In summary, here’s how it works:

1. Test: Purchase a DNA kit from a major provider like 23andMe.
2. Download: Once your results are ready, download your “Raw DNA Data” file from your provider’s settings.
3. Upload: Create a free account at GEDmatch and upload your raw file.
4. Opt-In: During the upload, select the “Opt-In” option (often represented by a police shield icon) to authorize law enforcement to compare your profile against crime scene evidence. 

**May 1, 2025 update:

A reader who is very well-versed with genetic genealogy and ancestry cases wrote me the following: