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50 Years Later Investigators Found Cold Case Killer · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Ever wonder what secrets people carry with them. What if
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  that secret was like a fifty year old cold case.
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  Speaker 2: Ooh, that's a good one.
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  Speaker 1: Well that's what we're diving into today. It's the case
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  of Mary Cay Schlace Okay, a young woman hitchhiking to
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  an art show in Chicago. This was back in nineteen
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  seventy four, and she was tragically murdered in Wisconsin.
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  Speaker 2: Wow.
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  Speaker 1: And what's crazy is that despite numerous leads and investigations.
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  Oh wow, this case went unsolved for decades.
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  Speaker 2: You're kidding, I know.
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  Speaker 1: It's unbelievable. Think about it. Multiple detectives and sheriffs who
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  worked the case over the years have since passed away,
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  Oh my, never seeing it salved.
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  Speaker 2: It just goes to show how some secrets can stay.
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  Speaker 1: Buried for a very long time. Yeah, it's heartbreaking, But
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  this case took a stunning turn really thanks to a
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  relatively new tool in the investigative arsenal Okay, genetic genealogy.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, so fascinating. You know how people use those ancestry websites?
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  Oh yeah, define long lost relatives. Imagine taking that idea
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  and turning it into a crime solving tool.
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  Speaker 1: That's a good idea.
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  Speaker 2: That's essentially what genetic genealogy is. Huh. It combines DNA
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  analysis with good old fashioned family tree research. Is so
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  cool to track down potential suspects.
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  Speaker 1: So they're basically like playing detective but with DNA exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And get this, the investigators actually partnered with Ramapo College
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  in New Jersey to do the analysis.
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  Speaker 1: Wow.
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  Speaker 2: It shows how collaborating with academic institutions can make this
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  cutting edge technology more accessible. That's really smart, even for
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  smaller law enforcement agencies.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, pooling resources and expertise like that. Right, So what
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  did they find? Did this genetic genealogy actually lead them
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  to a suspect?
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  Speaker 2: It did, really, And here's where it gets really interesting.
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  They identified an eighty four year old man wow okay
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  from Minnesota named John Miller. Okay, but then they hit
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  a curveball.
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  Speaker 1: Oh no, what was it?
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  Speaker 2: Miller was adopted oh wow, which made tracing his lineage
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  a lot more complex.
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  Speaker 1: So they had this new technolog but they still had
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  to go back to those old school methods of digging
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  through records and piecing together family trees.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. It highlights the dedication of these investigators because they
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  didn't give up. Yeah, and you know what happened when
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  they finally confronted Miller with the evidence.
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  Speaker 1: He confessed, right after fifty years he did. It's almost unbelievable.
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  Speaker 2: And that confession opens up a whole other can of
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  worms on me. I'm imagine carrying that burden for five decades.
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  Oh my gosh, what must have been going through his
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  mind all those years. It's heavy. I know it was
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  a guilt, relief, a sense of inevitability.
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  Speaker 1: Who knows.
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  Speaker 2: We can only speculate.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, but the family of Mary cay Shleys felt a
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  mix of emotions too, oh for sure, Relief, closure, maybe
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  even a bit of anger that it took so long.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely. And think about the investigators who worked on this
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  case over the years, many of whom are no longer
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  with us. They dedicated their careers to seeking justice. Wow.
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  And even though they did get to see this breakthrough,
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  their work laid the foundation for it.
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  Speaker 1: It's like their efforts echoed through time exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And talk about a full circle moment. The current sheriff
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  who work the case, yeah, said he got the news
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  about Miller's confession. Get this what while he was up
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  in a deer stand.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, that's an image isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: It is.
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  Speaker 1: It just shows you how this case has resonated with
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  so many people for so long.
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  Speaker 2: For sure.
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  Speaker 1: But this breakthrough with genetic genealogy raises so many questions,
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  doesn't it, Like where do we go from here?
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  Speaker 2: It's true this case has opened up a whole new
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  world of possibilities. Oh yeah, not just for solving cold cases,
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  but for how we think about privacy, technology and the
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  enduring power of the past. It's a lot to unpack,
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  for sure. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it feels like we're just scratching the surface here.
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  Speaker 2: Right.
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  Speaker 1: On the one hand, you have this incredible tool that
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  can finally bring answers to families who've waited decades. But
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  then there's this whole other side of things about privacy
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  and the implications of using the technology.
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  Speaker 2: It's a double edged sword. Yeah. Think about it. When
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  people send their DNA to these ancestry websites, they're probably
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  doing it to learn about their family history, maybe connect
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  with distant relatives. Yeah, they're not necessarily thinking, Hey, I'm
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  also giving permission for my genetic information to be used
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  to solve crimes.
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  Speaker 1: Right, It's like opening Candor's box, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you have this.
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  Speaker 1: Amazing resource for solving cold cases. Right, but then you
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  have to grapple with all these ethical considerations and it's
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  not as simple as just DNA equals bad guy case
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  closed exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not just about the individuals who submit their
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  DNA either, right, think about their relatives. Yeh yeah, they
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  haven't consented to having their genetic information used this way. Wow,
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  so now you're potentially dragging innocent people into investigations.
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  Speaker 1: That's a good point, which.
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  Speaker 2: Raises questions about familial privacy and the unintended consequences of
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  this technology.
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  Speaker 1: So what do we do? How do we balance the
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  potential benefits of genetic genealogy with the potential risks. It
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  feels like we're walking a tightrope here.
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  Speaker 2: It is a tough one. I think the key is
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  open and honest dialogue. We need clear guidelines for how
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  this technology should be used in criminal investigations. Maybe there
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  need to be stricter regulations around who can access these
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  databases and under what circumstances. And the public needs to
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  be informed about how their genetic information might be used
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  if they decide to participate in these ancestry services.
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  Speaker 1: It's like we need a crash course in genetic genealogy
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  ethics one on one for the whole country.
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  Speaker 2: I know, right, because the genie is out of the
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  bottle now, Yeah, the technology is here to stay, and
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  it has the potential to change the way we approach
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  criminal justice.
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  Speaker 1: For sure.
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  Speaker 2: We need to be smart about how we use it.
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  Speaker 1: It's like we're in the wild West of forensic science,
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  new frontiers, exciting possibilities, but also a lot of unknowns.
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  Speaker 2: That's a great analogy. Thanks, And just like in the
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  wild West, we need to establish some rules of the road,
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  some ethical guidelines, if you will, to make sure this
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  powerful tool is used responsibly and for the right reasons.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely so, beyond the ethical considerations, let's talk about the
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  practical implications of this case.
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  Speaker 2: Okay.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, if we can solve a fifty year old
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  cold case with genetic genealogy, what does that mean for
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  all the other unsolved mysteries out there?
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  Speaker 2: That's the exciting part. Yeah, there are countless cold cases
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  across the country. Oh, I bet some dating back even
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  further than the Chala's case. Wow. This technology has the
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  potential to bring closure to families who have been waiting
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  decades for answers.
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  Speaker 1: That's incredible.
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  Speaker 2: It could even help exonerate people who are wrongly convicted.
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  Speaker 1: Wow. So are we saying that genetic genealogy is going
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  to revolutionize cold case investigations.
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  Speaker 2: It definitely has the potential to, but it's important to
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  remember that it's not a magic bullet. It's a tool,
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  and like any tool, it has its limitations.
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  Speaker 1: Meaning it won't work for every case exactly.
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  Speaker 2: There are a lot of factors that can influence its effectiveness,
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  like what such as the quality of the DNA sample,
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  the availability of geneological records, and the complexity of the
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  family tree. Wow. And even when it does lead to
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  a suspect, it's really just the starting point.
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  Speaker 1: Oh okay.
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  Speaker 2: Law enforcement still needs to gather evidence and build a
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  solid case.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not like they can just point to the
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  DNA and say gotcha. They still have to do the
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  detective work.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Genetic genealogy provides a lead, the direction to go in,
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  but it's up to investigators to follow that lead, confirm
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  the information, and build a case that can hold up
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  in court. It's not a shortcut to justice, it's more
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  like a new path to get there.
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  Speaker 1: It's almost like having a superpower, but one that comes
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  with a lot of responsibility.
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  Speaker 2: I like that, and that responsibility includes making sure that
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  we're using this technology ethically and not letting the excitement
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  over its potential blind us to the potential pitfalls.
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  Speaker 1: Right, We've talked a lot about the impact of this
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  case on law enforcement, but let's zoom out a bit.
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  What does the Schlace case tell us about the nature
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  of secrets in general? I mean, if a secret can
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  remain hidden for fifty years, right, what else might be
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  lurking out there in the shadows, just waiting to be revealed.
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  Speaker 2: Now that's a chilling thought.
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  Speaker 1: I know.
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  Speaker 2: This case is a powerful reminder that the past is
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  never truly gone. It can resurface in unexpected ways, sometimes
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  through scientific advancements like genetic genealogy. It makes you wonder,
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  right for sure, what other secrets might be on earthed
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  as technology continues to evolve.
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  Speaker 1: It's almost like a cautionary tale.
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  Speaker 2: Isn't it It is. It's a reminder that actions have
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  consequences no matter how much time passes. Wow, and in
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  the age of rapidly advancing technology, those consequences might be
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  harder to outrun than ever before.
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  Speaker 1: It's mind blowing to think that Mary Kayse Schlace's case,
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  after being cold for half a century, finally has some resolution,
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  but it definitely leaves us with a lot to think about.
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  Speaker 2: It really does that this case highlights the enduring power
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  of secrets and the possibility of uncovering them even after
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  decades have passed.
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  Speaker 1: It makes you wonder what other cold cases are out there,
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  just waiting to be cracked wide open with this technology.
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  Could this be the start of a new era of
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  justice where time is no longer such a huge obstacle.
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  Speaker 2: It's certainly a possibility. As those genetic genealogy databases grow
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  and the techniques become even more refined, we could see
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  a surge in cold cases being reopened and potentially solved.
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  It's exciting for those seeking justice, but also a reminder
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  of the ethical typrope we need to walk right.
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  Speaker 1: We talked earlier about the importance of balancing the pursuit
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  of justice with protecting individual privacy. The Schla's case is
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  a powerful reminder that advancements in technology often come with
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  these complex ethical dilemmas that we as a society need
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  to face head on.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's a call to action for everyone. Lawmakers ethicists, scientists,
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  and even the general public to have these open and
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  honest conversations and establish clear guidelines for responsible and ethical
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  use of this powerful tool. The potential benefits are huge,
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  but so are the potential risks if we aren't careful
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  and thoughtful about how we move forward.
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  Speaker 1: It's a fascinating and complex landscape, for sure. It makes
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  you wonder if a secret can stay hidden for fifty years,
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  what else might be hiding out there, waiting to be
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  revealed as time march is on and technology keeps advancing.
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  Speaker 2: It's a pretty profound question. This case serves as a
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  stark reminder that the past is never truly buried. It
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  can and often does, resurface in ways we least expect.
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  As we venture further into the world of genetic genealogy
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  and other emerging technologies, we must be prepared for the
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  secrets they might on earth and the ethical challenges they
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  might present.
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  Speaker 1: Well. That wraps up our deep dive into Mary Cay
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  Schleis's case and the game changing impact of genetic genealogy
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  on solving cold cases. It's a story that shows the
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  power of perseverance, the complexities of ethics and privacy in
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  our digital age, and the enduring hope for justice. Even
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  when it seems lost to time
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  Speaker 2: It really is, and it leaves us all with plenty
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  to think about regarding the secrets we keep, the secrets
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  we search for, and the significant impact they can have
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  on individuals, families,