12-year-old Texas woman’s 1979 homicide simply solved, however the killer was executed in 2002

The chilly case slaying of a 12-year-old woman in Texas greater than 4 a long time in the past was solved after authorities used a complicated DNA software to establish her killer, authorities stated Monday.

Gerald Dwight Casey, who was executed in 2002 for an unrelated capital homicide case, was linked to Lesia Michell Jackson’s 1979 sexual assault and murder with the assistance of a DNA approach often known as “M-Vac,” the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Workplace stated in an announcement.

The expertise, initially developed to establish meals contamination however now used to gather DNA from porous and different tough surfaces, was used to course of samples found on Lesia’s clothes, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

The sheriff’s workplace, north of Houston in certainly one of Texas’ most sprawling counties, stated it was the oldest chilly case the division has solved.

Lesia disappeared on Sept. 7 after swimming on the lake in her subdivision with pals and relations. Her glasses have been discovered the subsequent day, and an oilfield employee discovered her physique close to a pipeline on Sept. 13, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

An post-mortem discovered that she had been sexually assaulted, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

The case remained chilly till final 12 months, when the brand new DNA approach was used to acquire samples from Lesia’s clothes, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

A DNA profile was recognized by state forensics consultants and uploaded to a DNA database, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

After the profile was recognized as belonging to Casey, investigators in contrast the DNA obtained from Lesia’s clothes with a blood pattern taken from Casey earlier than his execution.

The comparability confirmed Casey as Lesia’s killer, the sheriff’s workplace stated.

Casey was executed by injection on April 18, 2002, for a 1989 theft and homicide.