Walking the Hallowed Ground of a Murder Victim

I had an incredible experience yesterday.

In the 10+ years I have been working with law enforcement investigators and forensics DNA experts there are very few occasions where I have been able to walk the area where a person was murdered and our DNA collection system, the M-Vac, was able to help solve the case.

Trust me, when the full weight of it hits you, it's emotional.

The first time was when Sheriff Todd Bonner of Wasatch Co Sheriff's Office took me out to the Provo River and showed me the location of where they found Krystal Beslanowitch. In 1996 she was a 17 yr old and had been savagely beaten to death by some river rocks.

18 years later the M-Vac collected the suspects DNA from the rocks where he had gripped them. Touch DNA from granite rocks was worth a personal tour by the Sheriff, who had been the responding officer to the scene all those years ago. I will never forget the look on Sheriff Bonner's face when he saw the large, flat rock Krystal had been sitting on when her killer had caught up to her. And I'll also never forget the look of satisfaction Sheriff Bonner had when we discussed the outcome of the trial in which Krystal's murderer was found guilty. That case had haunted Bonner his entire career and once it was solved he felt he could retire in peace.

That was in 2016. Fast forward to 2023.

Yesterday two crime scene experts from the Montgomery Co Sheriff's Office in Conroe, Texas, took me to the lake where 12 year old Lesia Jackson was last seen, the intersection where they found her glasses and was likely kidnapped, and grassy area next to a service road where her body was found by an oilfield worker 6 days later.

I envisioned how that oilfield worker felt. Lesia's body was found in a secluded location maybe a hundred yards from a country road, surrounded by woods, no hope her screams would be heard. She was raped, strangled and unceremoniously left in the elements, her clothes that had been ripped off her body only a short distance away.

Even though that murder occurred in 1977, 44 long years ago, it is still hallowed ground. And walking it with the investigators who had been working on the case for decades gave an even more insightful experience.

Sgt Celestina Rossi, a senior crime scene investigator with MCSO, was the primary CSI who worked to get DNA off of Lesia's clothing. Over 10 years ago she had painstakingly attempted to collect any of the perpetrator's DNA using the swabbing method. Sadly, with no results. She had to work around what the FBI had attempted back in 1977, making the effort even more heroic, but all her time and energy failed to find any of the killer's DNA.

Last year the cold case detective over Lesia's case, Detective Fadi Rizk, learned about the M-Vac, and how it's carpet-cleaner-like-action could get into fibers and areas of evidence that physical methods like swabbing can't, and talked to Sgt Rossi about trying it. They decided to go for it. After 44 years the benefits of waiting longer were rapidly disappearing.

When the results came back from the crime lab there was celebration indeed! The department's oldest cold case homicide had been solved, and Lesia's family could finally learn who had taken her from them.

Imagine how you would feel if your child was missing. All the insane thoughts of what could have happened, where you last saw your baby, what you could have done differently that might have prevented this from happening. Then, in walks your precious child with the officer or neighbor who had helped find him or her. Immediately all your worries, concerns, panic, fear, dread and every other emotion gives way to pure joy as you jump up and hug your child.

Law enforcement officers and investigators feel those same emotions. The joy of helping others, especially in scenarios like the one above, is a huge reason why they do what they do. It's certainly not for the pay, the cushy hours, the class A office environment or the endless lattes at the company coffee shop. And in today's world it's 100% not because of how much society respects them! No, it's because they love their communities and have an internal drive to serve that keeps them going and doing what they do.

And having the elation of solving a 44 year old cold case murder on occasion definitely helps!

As I said, I'm not a cop. My military experience gives me an idea of the camaraderie and instant loyalty LEOs have for each other, but it's not the same. But on rare instances like yesterday, because of an amazing machine my father invented 20+ years ago, I am pulled into the world of criminal investigations and can see it from the inside. I wish all of society could see and feel that.

Yes, walking where Lesia Jackson walked the last few hours of her life is an experience I will hold sacred for the rest of my life. I owe that to her. She deserved a long, wonderful life, but that was tragically taken from her. So now it is our responsibility to live a better and more meaningful life for her.

And to all the other victims out there whose cases are not yet solved, help is coming. I know the hundreds of thousands of investigators around the world will never stop trying to piece together your case. And if forensic DNA can be a part of that puzzle, we will gladly be there as well.