DNA Coverage

'I thought she didn't want to see me': Missing Fayetteville woman's mother prays remains are not her daughter's

Sherry Foster, London Deven's biological mother, said she's praying that one of the sets of remains does not belong to her daughter, who she hasn't seen in over a decade and didn't learn about her disappearance until Thursday, April 4.

Chris Lovingood, WRAL anchor/reporter

Woman's remains ID'd decades later after combing through genealogy databases

Experts believe someone strangled Lisa Coburn Kesler one week prior and dumped her body along the side of Interstate 40 East near the New Hope Church Road exit.

Woman's remains identified 33 years after she was found dead beside I-40 in Orange County

Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office have identified the remains of a woman found by road crews 33 years ago.

Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter

'OneDukeGen' DNA study involves 150,000 Duke patients with a 'precision health' approach

Duke Health has begun major research to find out why some people stay healthy while others develop disease. The 6-year study will gather DNA data from 150,000 Duke patients.

Rick Armstrong, enterprise multimedia journalist.

NamUs database connects law enforcement, families in search for missing people

DNA, medical and dental records -- shared across the country -- can help identify more missing people and provide closure for more families.

Tuskegee Airman still serving in connecting cousins decades after his death

A North Carolina family is finally starting to get closure about one of their relatives - a Tuskegee airman who went missing in 1944.

Destinee Patterson, WRAL reporter

Here's why it's taking lawyers so long to prosecute the suspect in the 2012 murder of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth

Attorneys are still waiting for digital forensic analysis and cell extractions in the 2012 murder case of University of North Carolina student Faith Hedgepeth.

Sarah Krueger, WRAL Durham reporter

NC State researcher finds DNA in dust

The dust at a crime scene could be a new source of trace evidence.

DNA in dust could be new source of evidence to solve crimes

Dr. Kelly Meiklejohn sees dust as a source of evidence. It can contain some of the hundreds of thousands of skin cells shed by the human body each day.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Man calls DNA link to 1990 rape 'ridiculous'

Deandre Marcel Smith was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense and kidnapping for a crime that took place when he was 20 years old.

Durham solving decades-old cold cases with new DNA testing

A grant funds testing for sex assault kits long kept on file, leading to new arrests in old cases.

Grant allows Durham Police to solve decades-old cold cases

The Durham Police Department has formed a cold case unit funded by a 3-year grant from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) that allows them to work through the backlog of untested evidence.

Monica Casey, WRAL Durham reporter

Philanthropist helps law enforcement test DNA in cold cases

DNA testing is very expensive and small law enforcement agencies don't have the resources for this. But in recent years laboratories that test DNA in cold cases are turning to crowdfunding with great success to get the cost covered.

Money from the crowd pays for DNA tests on cold case remains

There's an entire online community dedicated to helping solve these cases.

Crowdfunding supports cold case DNA analysis

Episode 19 of the What Remains podcast is about Carla Davis and her generous gifts of time and money to solving cold cases. It's a cause that is personal to her. In the episode she talks about the murder case that originally sparked her interest in funding DNA analysis.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

'What Remains' podcast episode 18: 'Finding Brittanee'

When a 17-year-old girl from New York goes missing in Myrtle Beach during spring break, at first it appears to be no big deal. Very soon, the entire country is invested in the search for Brittanee Drexel.

The disappearance of Brittanee Drexel

When a 17-year-old girl from New York goes missing in Myrtle Beach during spring break, at first it appears to be no big deal. Very soon, the entire country is invested in the search for Brittanee Drexel.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Two cold cases solved in Chatham County after 40 years

DNA technology was able to solve cases were 43 and 46 years old, the oldest cases to be solved with forensic genealogy in North Carolina to date.

New tech unravels a missing persons mystery after more than 40 years

Most people give up trying unravel a mystery after a short period of time. Unraveling mysteries and figuring out complicated puzzles are both mentally and emotionally exhausting. But sometimes, taking another look at a cold case with fresh eyes can give you the clarity you need to solve it.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Best friends discover they're sisters after genetic testing

You probably care a lot about your best friend, so imagine how you'd feel if you found out your friend was your sibling! That is exactly what happened to a woman in Connecticut.

Isotope analysis: A roadmap through someone's past

In episode 16 of the What Remains podcast, we explore the growing field of isotope analysis and how it may just be better than a GPS at telling scientists where someone has been in the world.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Forensic genealogy helps to solve the mystery of The Somerton Man

In this episode of the What Remains podcast we tell you how a professor and a genealogist teamed up to solve one of the oldest mysteries in the world.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

Who was 'Little Miss Nobody?'

Episode 14 of the What Remains podcast reexamines the case of "Little Miss Nobody," and the unknown remains that would take 62 years to identify.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter

80 years later, Cary family gets closure for loved one killed at Pearl Harbor

A Cary family has been mourning a loved one they have never met. They have held hope that one day the remains of 21-year-old Herbert Johnson, who was killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, would surface.

Chelsea Donovan, WRAL reporter

Alice's father was there all along: States can help in the heartbreaking search for missing persons

In Episode 13 of the What Remains podcast, we take you on a journey with two heartbroken families who turn their grief into action along with the help of a young state lawmaker who made good on her campaign promise to help them.

Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter