Due to the graphic nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised,

this episode includes discussions of sexual assault and the murder of children.

Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen.

If you're a fan of true crime, you know how important DNA can be in forensic investigations.

Just in the past few years, advancements in DNA analysis have helped close even the coldest of cases. The Lady of the Dunes, Kristen Smart,

even the Golden State Killer. These days it's easy to take the science for granted, But as recently as the early 1980s, things like blood

and semen samples couldn't necessarily be linked to a singular person. The best way to

catch a murderer was with a fingerprint.

So if a killer wore gloves or wiped down the crime scene, all bets might be off.

It wasn't until the mid-80s when a killer struck a tiny English village that a brand new technology called DNA fingerprinting was first used in a murder investigation.

It showed investigators the last thing they were expecting to find,

and changed forensic science forever. Forever.

I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. You can find us here every Monday.

Be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killer's

podcast and we'd love to hear from you so if you're listening on the Spotify

app swipe up and give us your thoughts. April 25th marks National DNA day in the U.S.

It's a time to celebrate advancements in DNA research,

like the ones that scientists and detectives now use to bring justice to victims, sometimes after years or even decades have passed.

Today we're exploring the first murder case ever solved using DNA analysis, but it's not just

the scientific breakthroughs that make this story so fascinating, it's the human drama surrounding

them. Without a dogged detective, a renowned researcher, and one

brave woman who chose to come forward, this case might never have become the forensic landmark it is today.

...