Suspect David James Zimbrick. Credit: Lawrence Police Department
A still-smoldering cigarette collected by police at the scene of a child sexual assault in 2000 has now finally led to the arrest of the suspect 25 years later.
On Dec. 29, 2025, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department arrested 58-year-old David James Zimbrick for the alleged sexual assault of a 7-year-old girl in 2000, as well as a 10-year-old boy in 2003. Pulling DNA from the crime scene cigarette, genetic genealogy clued detectives into the suspect’s lineage. From there, law enforcement was able to confirm Zimbrick’s identify through physical evidence.
Case background
On Aug. 25, 2000, three kids were riding their bikes on a path in Naismith Valley Park when they were approached by a man who offered them $20 to help him find something. One of the children rode home to tell a parent, who quickly made his way to the park. But when he arrived, his 7-year-old daughter told him of the sexual assault. She provided a general description of the man, as well as the fact that he was smoking a cigarette—which was subsequently collected by police as evidence.
The DNA from the cigarette was entered into CODIS on Nov. 16, 2001, but there were no hits.
On May 28, 2003, the police were called back to Naismith Valley Park for a familiar story. This time, two 10-year-old boys were riding their bikes when they were approached by a man who offered them $20 to help him find something. He sent the boys in two different directions, sexually assaulting one once he was isolated. After reporting the assault to the police, sexual evidence was collected and submitted to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) for testing.
In 2015, a DNA profile was obtained from the evidence and entered into CODIS. And while the data concretely connected the 2000 and 2003 assaults, the identity of the perpetrator was still unknown.
Genetic genealogy
In early 2020, after learning about genetic genealogy through the identification and arrest of the Golden State Killer, Lawerence Police Detective Amy Price reached out to Parabon to see if they could help.
Price sent DNA from the 2000 case to Parabon in March 2020 and by May, the company provided a working hypothesis of ancestry for the suspect, including possible grandparents and parents. However, the investigation soon stalled due to travel restrictions from the pandemic.
In September 2022, Price reached out to the FBI’s genetic genealogy unit, who assisted in obtaining comparison samples from possible relatives. Price learned that one of the members of the family put a child up for adoption when she was a young teen. Further analysis confirmed the suspect was almost certainly that child—now known as David Zimbrick.
In October 2025, Price traveled to New Mexico to interview the suspect’s biological mother, who he had found and contacted in 2005. The mother revealed Zimbrick’s name, likely location and phone number.
Adoption records were then used to confirm Zimbrick’s identity and further investigation revealed he was living in the Lawerence area at the time of the crimes. In November, Price interviewed Zimbrick’s and obtained a DNA sample.
Less than a month later, KBI matched the DNA sample to the 2003 assault case. Zimbrick was arrested and charged with one count of rape in one case, and one count of aggravated criminal sodomy and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child in the second case.
More cases?
Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart said three other cases in the area have similar MOs—including suspect description—but there is no physical evidence to like Zimbrick or anyone else to the additional cases.
“It is likely there are other cases out there and we hope this investigation will help locate those other cases,” said Lockhart. “These kids were doing something we all did as kids—riding their bikes in a park. Something they should have been able to do without being violently sexually assaulted by a predator.”