The

The On July 26, 1979, the front page of the long-defunct Oregon Journal newspaper had the cover lines,

Playboy's perfect playmate, taxpayers missing the boat, and Democrats back Carter Gas Plan.

Just beneath those, the main headline read, Woman 20, strangled in bed here, paired with a photo of a young woman's face adorned with a now

heartbreaking smile. Her name was Anna Marie Lavka, and it would take 40 years for her killer

to be named, though he would never have to face the consequences for what he did to Anna.

I had a vague recollection of this case when the news broke about it being solved in 2019,

but I don't think I had really realized just how groundbreaking it was.

Then a few weeks ago, I was contacted by a production company that requested I work with them on their program to help tell Anna's story.

To recount her case as accurately as possible, I conducted

my own research, and over the next two episodes, I will be telling the story of Anna Marie's

case and how her killer was connected. Now and then, a case arises that changes how crimes

are handled and solved. H. H. H. Holmes with his serial

killings, the Zodiac committing stranger-to-stranger murders, Ted Bundy with his charm and luring of women.

Then in 2018, we all learned of the newest tool in forensic crime-solving, forensic genetic genealogy.

Utilizing DNA taken from crime scenes attributed to a serial

burglar, rapist, and murderer, Parabon Labs was able to follow a path of ancestry that eventually

led to the arrest of Joseph DiAngelo, a former cop who had tormented Southern California and

the Bay Area from 1974 to 1986.

The capture of the Golden State Killer was a game changer for cold case detectives.

The theory of genetic genealogy had been proven to be successful, making Parabon the most

popular lab in the country, and every cold case detective was hoping to get a chance to try to solve

...