Credit: NMU
Two days before a 78-year-old Wisconsin man was going to be arrested for a kidnapping and sexual assault that occurred 39 years ago in Michigan, he was found deceased at his residence.
Due to the suspect’s death occurring prior to arraignment, his name is being withheld, but the victim was told that her assailant was positively identified through DNA—forensic investigative genetic genealogy, specifically. In fact, this August 1986 case is believed to be the oldest sexual assault case in Michigan to be solved utilizing genetic genealogy.
Case background and student involvement
In August 1986, a woman reported that she was assaulted while taking a bike trip from her home in Lac du Flambeau, Wis. to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. She had stopped to use a public bathroom and when she exited, she was forced at gunpoint into the suspect’s car. The suspect drove her around and repeatedly sexually assaulted her, eventually releasing her.
The initial investigation turned up no leads, as did subsequent case reviews over the years. There were no breakthroughs in the investigation until Fall 2023 when the Michigan State Police turned to its ongoing partnership with Northern Michigan University’s (NMU) Cold Case Program.
The NMU Cold Case Program was established a year prior as a partnership to offer students in NMU’s Criminal Justice Program real-world experience with forensic analysis, investigation and the criminal justice system. Having more time to give than current investigators, students from the Cold Case Program reexamine old evidence with fresh eyes.
During the new look, NMU students concluded the case was a good fit for forensic genetic genealogy techniques. Thus, the Michigan State Police Forensic Science Division contracted with a private laboratory to review the evidence and complete the FIGG testing, which resulted in new investigative leads pointing to the 78-year-old man.
The new suspect had been a resident of Harris, Mich., at the time of the incident, which was approximately a 45-minute drive from the crime scene. He moved to Wisconsin shortly after the assault.
Investigators subsequently obtained a DNA sample from the suspect, and the MSP Forensic Science Division was able to match it to the sample obtained from the evidence collected in 1986.
The Delta County Prosecutor's Office issued charges of Kidnapping and CSC First Degree for the 78-year-old male and plans were made to execute his arrest on July 29, 2025. However, on July 27, 2025, the suspect was found deceased at his residence.
“This case is a reminder of both the importance of persistence and of collaboration in the pursuit of justice,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the MSP. “A special thank you goes to the students and faculty of the NMU Cold Case Program who contributed directly to solving this heinous crime and bringing some measure of closure for this victim.”