In December 1977, Alma Jones was found murdered in her home in Raleigh, North Carolina. She lived alone and evidence at the scene indicated she had been brutally raped and murdered. Despite a thorough investigation, the case remained unsolved. In 2011, Raleigh Police investigators submitted several items of evidence to the NC State Crime Lab. A male DNA profile was developed from a cigarette butt and semen stain on a blanket which were at the crime scene. The profile for the unknown male was entered in to CODIS but a search produces no matches or leads to the identity of this unknown male.
In 2021, with all other leads exhausted, Raleigh Police investigators secured SAKI funds and approval to use forensic genetic genealogy to generate new leads in the case. The remaining DNA extracts from the crime scene evidence were sent to Othram for testing. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to produce a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown male DNA. This profile was then returned to Raleigh Police investigators, who worked with the Charlotte and Baltimore FBI offices to perform genealogical research. Genealogical research and subsequent investigation by Raleigh PD and FBI investigators identified the Alma Jones' killer as Paul David Crowder Jr. The suspect to this crime died on August 18, 2015.
Republished courtesy of DNA Solves/Othram.