Episode Details

For almost 40 years, Michelle Martinko’s case stood unsolved, her killer’s identity locked away in old evidence files. But in 2018, investigators turned to a powerful new tool — forensic genealogy.

By building out a family tree from crime scene DNA, they were finally able to narrow in on a suspect: Jerry Burns, an Iowa businessman with no prior record. What followed was a high-profile arrest, a trial that gripped the community, and, at last, long-awaited justice for Michelle.

In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking use of genealogy to catch a killer, the unraveling of Jerry Burns’ carefully hidden secret, and the emotional courtroom moments that finally closed one of Iowa’s most haunting cold cases.

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