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Some of Indiana’s oldest unsolved crimes are being cracked, thanks to new funding and a growing state police effort that blends traditional detective work with cutting-edge genetic genealogy.
Leaders of the Indiana State Police said advances in forensic technology — paired with a newly formalized forensic investigative genetic genealogy unit — have helped crack cases dating back as far as the 1970s.
The governor’s office highlighted several breakthroughs just in the last few months, including a 1975 homicide case that led to an arrest earlier this year; a decades-old infant death case that resulted in charges and a conviction, and a 2000 armed robbery and carjacking in Dubois County that was solved more than two decades later.
Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday said those previously “frigid” cases sat dormant for years due to limited technology or resources.
He pointed to the latest results as evidence that relatively “modest” investments in public safety infrastructure can yield outsized returns.
“We’re doing something that’s really having an impact on public safety,” Braun said in an interview with the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “When you’re solving cold cases, there’s going to be a deterrent effect for anybody that’s thinking about enterprising in the wrong way.”
A ‘specialized’ genealogy effort
At the center of the renewed push is what state police call a forensic investigative genetic genealogy, or FIGG, team — a relatively new unit that combines traditional detective work with advanced DNA analysis and family tree research.
Allen Williamson, deputy superintendent of the ISP investigations bureau, said the unit has only existed in its current form for about two years.
“This is the first time it’s been a formalized unit,” Williamson said, noting that while investigators have worked cold cases for decades, the dedicated structure and resources are new.
The effort is split between field investigators and lab specialists. Detectives reexamine old case files, identify evidence that can be newly tested or retested and work alongside scientists trained in DNA analysis. That lab work can generate genetic profiles that are then used in genealogical research to identify possible suspects through family connections.
The chemistry side of the unit includes four scientists and a genealogist, while a separate team of detectives — recently expanded and supplemented by part-time civilian investigators — works cases on the ground.
Each detective is typically assigned several active cases at a time, and the unit is handling dozens of investigations overall.
“They’ll go through the case, and they’ll look at, OK, what evidence is there that we have that wasn’t tested before or was tested before and can be retested,” Williamson said. “It’s a long process — a long, tedious process.”
New details gleaned from the team’s research has helped the genealogist build out family trees, and in some cases, DNA samples are sent out to third-party testing services like 23andMe or AncestryDNA. Williamson couldn’t disclose the specific testing sites state police are using, however.
Still, not every solved case ends with an arrest. In some instances, suspects are deceased, but investigators can still determine responsibility through DNA evidence and genealogical analysis.
That was the case in the 25-year-old Dubois County robbery and carjacking case, where investigators narrowed the suspect pool to three brothers. After testing the only surviving sibling, they concluded the perpetrator was one of the two who had died.
State police consider such cases closed when investigators can establish responsibility beyond doubt, even if prosecution is no longer possible. Others are closed through arrests or convictions. Cases that cannot be proven remain open.
“When we are able to close, because we absolutely know, then the case is done for us,” Williamson said. “But we never close the case out if we still cannot solve it.”
Statewide reach — and growing demand
The initiative builds on work that began late in former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration, but Braun said his team has focused on “enabling it and energizing it” with additional funding and internal policy changes.
A funding increase approved in the latest state budget included a 20% boost to the state police forensic laboratory budget — rising from about $15 million to $18 million.
Braun framed the investment as relatively small compared to other areas of the state budget but still impactful.
“When you’re looking at going from $15 million to $18 million, that pales in comparison to what we spend in other areas,” he said. “But now that we’re showing that it can get done, it begs the question … should we put more into it?”
The state police lab serves its own investigations as well as local law enforcement agencies across Indiana. Cold cases typically remain with the original agency, but ISP can assist, collaborate or take over investigations depending on local needs.
Williamson said interest from local departments is growing as the genealogy work expands.
“We’ll either give guidance, we’ll either work the case with them, or we’ll take the case over,” he said. “But it’s their decision, not ours.”
While state officials could not immediately say how many cold cases remain statewide, both Braun and Williamson said the number is significant — with some pending cases stretching back decades.
“There’s a lot,” Williamson said, adding that many cold cases are unsolved murders, but other violent crimes also remain to be solved.
For Braun, the early results justify continued investment in the program. He said he’s open to additional funding for cold case efforts in future budgets.
“We’re just getting started. I’m anxious to see where we go from here,” the governor said. “They’re obviously flexing their muscles … and I’m going to be behind it.”
He said solving long-unsolved cases could additionally have a broader public safety impact.
“I think when you’re solving cold cases, there’s going to be a deterrent effect,” Braun said. “It shows that … we’re using all the current tools you’ve got.”
Williamson emphasized, too, that beyond arrests or convictions, the goal is to provide answers to families.
“Closure … a lot of (families) don’t like the word closure — because it’s never really closed,” he said. “Final resolution is a better way of putting it. But that’s always our goal.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: [email protected].
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