It was January 1956 when three boys, who were out on a New Year's hike in Sun River, Montana, found the body of 18-year-old Lloyd Duane Bogle with his hands tied behind his back laying on the ground near his car. He had been shot in the back of the head. The next day a county road worker found the body of Bogle's 16-year-old girlfriend Patricia Kalitzke. She had been shot in the head just like her boyfriend but had also been sexually assaulted. Their bodies had been found in what is known as "lover's lane". great falls history museum

Bogle was an airman from Texas, and Kalitzke was a junior at Great Falls High School, that had fallen hard for one another and were considering marriage after Kalitzke graduated high school. Early on in the investigation there were a lot of leads to go on, but none panned out, and eventually they ran dry. 

The Cascade County Sherriff's office never gave up. For decades they continued to investigate these murders, with several detective attempting to solve it. In 2012 a new investigator was assigned to the case, Detective Sgt. Jon Kadner. This was his first cold case, and even though he had other cases land on his deck, he didn't give up on this one. He was assigned the task of digitizing the case file, a task that took several months. After a while, Kadner realized that the only way they were going to be able to solve the case would be through DNA. 

The original investigator had saved a vaginal swab they took from Kalitzke, and after ruling out the DNA belonging to Bogle, they were then able to seek out the assistance of Bode Technology. With the help of other labs, forensic genealogists were able to create a genetic profile, using the swab they had taken 63 years earlier. Forensic scientists are able to create family trees by using death certificates and searching public records. By creating this family tree, they are able to find a suspect, even if that person never submitted DNA to the website. In this case, it was a distant cousin, and they were able to create a reverse family tree. By doing this, it led them to a man named Kenneth Gould. He had lived with his family in Great Falls during the time of the murders, and before moving to Missouri in 1967. 1956 double homicide

After six decades, the police finally had a direction. Unfortunately, Gould had died in 2007. That meant that the investigators had to use remaining family members to get determine if he was the man they were looking for. It wasn't easy on the investigators because they had to go to his children and essentially tell them that their dad was being investigated for double murder and rape from a case in 1956. They cooperated and after all this time, they had their killer. Kenneth Gould was the killer/rapist. The familied to Bogle and Kalitzke finally had justice. It was one of the oldest cold cases solved with genetic genealogy. 

Does Law Enforcement Have Total Access to Your DNA on Genealogy Sites?

 With the lasted trend in DNA Genetic investigations being in the news a lot lately, we wanted to dive deep to see if our rights were being violated without our knowledge. With 23andMe and Ancestry.com being two of the major players in the genealogy/family tree game we thought we would see how and if they allow law enforcement free access to their records. After checking, both websites have said, "no, they do not allow law enforcement to use the DNA in their databases, and if law enforcement does indeed need access to it, they must get a warrant. Both genealogy sites have stated that they will do everything in their power to notify their consumers that the law is requesting access ahead of time, but there will be some incidences that it won't be possible to contact the consumer with advance notice.

Currently the only sites that allow law enforcement to access the DNA records is GEDMatch and FamilyTreeDNA . Even those two site have added additional rules for the use of their DNA. Basically, if you have your DNA in the websites, you must opt in, in order for law enforcement to use your DNA.

Currently the Department of Justice (DOJ) has an established temporary policy on Forensic Genetic Genealogy DNA Analysis. The National Genealogical Society has a committee that is working on best practices and standards. There are other groups, like the American Genetic Society that are advocating for the protection of genetic information. These laws and standards are evolving and will change over time to make sure that privacy laws are upheld, and the consumers that are uploading their DNA for genealogy purposes are protected. 

Solving Cold Cases: How Genealogy Technology Makes a Difference

Just recently the field of criminal investigation has seen groundbreaking advancements in DNA genealogy technology. Cold cases that have remained unsolved for years, even decades, are being solved and brought to justice. This powerful tool has been crucial in redefining how law enforcement agencies approach solving long-dormant cases. Genetic genealogy utilizes DNA from crime scenes to create a genetic profile of the unknown suspect. This profile can then be compared to genetic databases, such as those from commercial genetic testing companies, to identify potential genetic relatives of the suspect. By building family trees and tracing relationships, investigators can narrow down their search to a specific person, ultimately leading to their identification. One of the coolest aspects of genealogy technology is the ability to provide closure to victims and families of crime. This type of technology is also being used by the military, in identifying remains in mass graves from wars overseas decades later, then returning the person killed in action to their family. With the help of DNA genealogy, these families are finally able to find the closure they have been desperately seeking. This new technology had breathed new life into investigations that had gone cold, giving hope to both detectives and victims' families. As we continue the use of this amazing technology, we also need to remember that there are ethical considerations to consider as well, such as privacy concerns, whether or not consent was given to use the DNA, and the proper use of the DNA/genetic information. There is a large gray area where this technology is concerned, and we need to be careful of the slippery slope when it comes to its use. DNA genealogy technology stands as a beacon of hope for unsolved cases and unresolved mysteries. By utilizing genetic information and familial connections, we are on the path to finding justice for victims and their families. Someday, hopefully soon, there will be no more cold cases.