In 1987, a couple in their early 20s took a ferry from Vancouver to Seattle, only to disappear. The bodies of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg were found days later 60 miles apart, bound, beaten and brutally murdered. With no real leads, the case went cold for 30 years.
In 2018, self-trained genetic genealogist CeCe Moore had, after much deliberation, made the decision to work with law enforcement on cold cases, rather than the adoption and unknown parentage mysteries she had been pioneering for years.
Her first case? Working with Seattle’s Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office on the double homicide of Cook and Van Cuylenborg. As it turns out, there would be more firsts as Moore and the Sheriff’s Office tirelessly pursued justice.
You can watch how the case unfolds in ABC’s “The Genetic Detective,” which premieres Tuesday, May 26 at 10 p.m. EDT. The new primetime series follows Moore and her work with Parabon NanoLabs as she uses genetic genealogy techniques to help identify more than 100 violent criminal suspects.
“It made sense to start at the beginning,” Moore told Forensic. “That allowed us to lay the foundation behind my decision to do this work and the partnership with Parabon, my personal history as the architect of the unknown parentage techniques used, GEDMatch’s role, as well as the investigative genetic genealogy revolution sparked by the groundbreaking Golden State Killer suspect arrest that occurred just prior to the work on this case.”
The suspect arrested for the murders of Cook and Van Cuylenborg was only the second ever through investigative genetic genealogy. It is also the first case of its kind to go to a jury trial, and the first in which a jury convicted a suspect who was identified through investigative genetic genealogy.
“The Genetic Detective,” filmed from late 2018 to Fall 2019, is a limited series with six episodes that feature one case per episode. Moore says the cases chosen all have elements that make them unique and groundbreaking.
- The first ever conviction of any kind through investigative genetic genealogy and Parabon’s first Snapshot case (April Tinsley case, Ft. Wayne, IN)
- The first exoneration through genetic genealogy, the first investigative genetic genealogy case filmed as the events unfolded, the first murder and rape suspect identified using highly degraded DNA (Angie Dodge case, Idaho Falls, ID)
- The first case where there was a living victim who reached out to me (Ramsey Street Rapist, Fayetteville, NC)
- The first active, very recent case where the suspect was identified through investigative genetic genealogy and arrested, and the first case where there was the immediate and real potential that we could help stop a rapist before he struck again (Carla Brooks, St George, UT)
- The first case where we were able to identify a suspect tied to crimes in multiple jurisdictions and uncover a previously unknown serial killer (Sherri and Megan Sherer case, New Madrid County, MO plus multiple others)
“In every one of these cases, there are heroic detectives who refused to give up and were pioneering, early adopters, willing to embrace revolutionary techniques to find answers for the families and their communities,” said Moore. “There are dozens and dozens of other cases that could be featured, so it was very difficult to choose only six of them. Each one is unique and has fascinating aspects to it, and the victims’ stories all deserve to be told.”
In fact, one of the reasons Moore decided to collaborate with ABC on “The Genetic Detective” was for the families and surviving victims who were eager to tell their stories.
“The majority of them had been waiting for years or decades for answers and wanted other families and victims of violent crime to know that there is finally hope through investigative genetic genealogy,” she said.
Another reason is education. While Moore would rather stay in her California home and work on cases with Parabon and law enforcement, she feels a responsibility to educate the public.
“It has always been my goal through all of my media appearances to not only entertain, but to educate the public on genetic genealogy, and I was assured that this series would provide that opportunity,” said Moore. “Most television productions require explanations that ‘dumb down’ the science and ABC News was supportive of presenting and exploring it in more depth than is typical.”
Moore hopes her small screen lessons will give the public a better understanding of what investigative genetic genealogy really is, and dispel any misconceptions about what it is not. Ultimately, if the public understands how powerful genetic genealogy is as a crime-solving tool, Moore hopes more people will be inspired to contribute their DNA files to GEDmatch.
“We [want to] continue to provide answers to victims and their families and increase public safety,” she said.
This year, investigative genetic genealogy is enjoying time on the tube. In addition to “The Genetic Detective” docuseries, Fox has ordered a pilot for “Blood Relative,” inspired by Colleen Fitzpatrick’s genetic genealogy work with DNA Doe Project and IdentiFinders.
Photo: CeCe Moore. Credit: ABC Network