The Forever Witness

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After 30 years, Detective Jim Scharf arrested the murderer of a teenage couple, revealing a conflict between justice and privacy rights. Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were killed during a trip to Seattle in the 1980s, with detectives facing minimal leads: a missing murder weapon, no witnesses, and only one handprint on their van. Initially believed to be victims of a serial killer, the case seemed hopeless. Meanwhile, biological evidence from the crime scene remained in long-term storage. In California, CeCe Moore developed a passion for genetic genealogy, discovering its potential for crime-solving as DNA testing gained popularity. When Scharf sent the cold case's DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he aimed to provide closure for the families, unaware he and Moore would make history. While anyone can submit a saliva sample for ancestry insights, the implications of uploading these results online raise significant questions about consent and privacy. As lawyers, policymakers, and law enforcement grapple with these issues, the case highlights the broader reality that approximately 250,000 murders in the U.S. remain unsolved. We possess the tools to catch many killers, but at what cost?