The Journal. · Wednesday, August 12, 2026
The investigation into the Golden State Killer in California exemplifies the use of genetic genealogy by law enforcement. Police utilized DNA evidence from the crime scenes and compared it to public genealogy databases to identify potential relatives of the suspect, ultimately leading to an arrest.
“In California, police tried this approach for one of the most notorious unsolved crime sprees in American history.”
“The Golden State Killer was thought to be responsible for 14 murders and more than 50 rapes across California in the 70s and 80s.”
“What if we, like we're looking for the unknown parents of somebody who's been adopted, but instead, we're looking for an unknown serial killer?”