Kevin Lynn Capps, a 30-year-old father, was identified 32 years after his death in a suspicious fire in Utah. On April 16, 1992, authorities found Capps' unrecognizable body in a blazing field near I-15 in Ogden, Utah, with no personal items to aid in identification. Despite initial efforts to match his dental records and DNA, the case remained cold for over three decades. The Weber County Sheriff's Office formed the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force and partnered with Othram Inc., a forensic genetic genealogy company, to implement advanced DNA testing. Using forensic genome sequencing, Othram Inc. analyzed the skeletal remains, creating a DNA profile with around 500,000 DNA markers, significantly more than the 20 markers typically found by CODIS. This advanced testing allowed the team to find relatives and identify Capps. His 4-year-old daughter at the time, Chelsea LaRoe, now 36, was informed of the news on August 12, 2024, which provided her with some closure after believing her father had left her. The case highlights the power of advanced DNA testing in solving long-unsolved crimes.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
