Unlocking Cold Cases: The Power of Genetic Genealogy

The police identified a suspect in a double murder after combing through DNA profiles on a website designed to connect family members. We look at what his trial will tell us about the future of genetic genealogy in solving crimes. Guests: Heather Murphy, a New York Times reporter, spoke with CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist, and Curtis Rogers, a creator of the genealogy website GEDMatch. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• The case of William Earl Talbott II, who is accused of killing a Canadian couple in Washington State 32 years ago, could result in legal precedents involving the use of genetic genealogy techniques by law enforcement.

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