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DNA sampling advances help solve cold cases

Jimenez is wanted in the 1980 rape/murder of Lois Hale.
Anyone with any information regarding his whearabouts
should contact the LAPD.

We’ve all seen the headline, by now: “LAPD solves 29 year old cold case.” In January of 1980, Lois Hale (39) was found stabbed to death in her home in North Hollywood. Her fifteen year old daughter found her and later, it was discovered that Miss Hale had been raped. Sadly, DNA profiling was virtually non-existent in 1980. The evidence went into storage and the case went cold.

 

In 2006, two new detectives picked up the case and began pouring over the files and evidence. New advances in DNA profiling allowed them to, potentially, get an accurate match. Three years later, the LAPD announced their prime suspect: Guadalupe Gonzalez Jimenez. He is currently not in custody. LAPD requests that anyone with information regarding his wearabouts contact them at (818) 623-4075 or by texting CRIMES.

 

Why now? Why after 29 years is there finally a suspect named? What drastic changes occurred to make such a thing possible? Surely, the DNA samples were degraded by this time? The answers lie in recent advances, to be honest. In the 1980’s when this case occurred, DNA profiling amounted to little better than blood-typing. By the 1990’s, DNA profiling was becoming more prolific, however, it was still in its early stages of usefulness and most of the sample-sizes had to be consumed to produce any kind of results—accurate or otherwise. In 2006, restriction fragment length polymorphism, or RFLP, was the main way of DNA profiling. It did require a larger sample—though, advances were limiting the size of the sample—and many cases over 10 years old were ineligible for the testing; also, if samples were degraded in any way, RFLP may not have been useful.

 

New advances, however, make RFLP a thing of the past. Just as quickly as one can type their search query into Google, police are able to get hits on matching DNA profiles. Google still hasn’t figured out how to narrow a search down to thousands of page views instead of millions, but DNA technology has. Instead of requiring large samples, new advances allow for the minutest bits of DNA to be searchable—skin cells from ligatures or weapons, for example. Cases older than 10 years have the opportunity to be solved based on such small samples of DNA evidence.

 

Everyone leaves a mark on the world. Some call it a carbon footprint; some call it DNA. Either way, if a person commits a crime, science will find that person. CSI may not be wholly accurate as far as techniques and timing, but it does show that criminals can and will be consistently brought to justice. For those in the Northwestern United States or the Mexicalli, Baja California areas, keep an eye out for Guadalupe Gonzalez Jimenez. His profile is below.

 

Name: Guadalupe Gonzalez Jimenez
Age: 53
Height: 5’5”
Identifying Marks: Missing the tip of his right index finger; “Mambro” tattooed on left bicept
Contact the LAPD at (818) 623-4075; text CRIME; or visit their website, http://www.lapdonline.org

For more info: DNA Technology Advances, Ten high-profile Colorado cases, Five tips to protect against sex offenders, Advanced DNA testing solves Romanov mystery