Five criminals who believed they had escaped justice — some for more than 40 years — until preserved DNA, genetic genealogy, discarded items, and their own mistakes finally led investigators to them. From a coffee cup thrown in the trash to a floppy disk that revealed a killer’s identity, these are cold cases that refused to stay buried. Cases: (0:33) 1 – John Arthur Getreu In 1973, 21-year-old Stanford graduate Leslie Marie Perlov disappears after finishing her shift at a law library in Palo Alto, California. Her car is found abandoned near an old quarry, and three days later, searchers discover her body beneath an oak tree. For 45 years, the case remains unsolved—until investigators use genetic genealogy to identify a possible suspect. Detectives begin watching 74-year-old John Arthur Getreu and recover a coffee cup he throws away after a medical appointment. The DNA on the cup matches evidence preserved from beneath Leslie’s fingernails. Getreu is arrested in 2018 and later connected to another 1974 incident: the killing of Janet Ann Taylor, the daughter of Stanford’s athletic director. (5:11) 2 – Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer For decades, Dennis Rader terrorizes Wichita, Kansas, under the name BTK. Between 1974 and 1991, he ends the lives of 10 people before seemingly disappearing for 13 years. During that time, he lives an outwardly ordinary life as a husband, father, church council president, Cub Scout leader, and city compliance officer. But in 2004, Rader contacts the media again because he wants attention. When he mails a floppy disk to a television station in 2005, investigators recover deleted information from the disk that points to Christ Lutheran Church and someone named Dennis. Police identify Rader, obtain a familial DNA comparison, and arrest him after more than 30 years. (10:16) 3 – David Fuller In 1987, two young women lives were ended in Royal Tunbridge Wells, England. Wendy Knell, 25, is found unalived in her bedsit in June. Six months later, 20-year-old Caroline Pierce disappears after a night out, and her body is discovered weeks later in a water-filled dyke. The cases become known as the Bedsit M*rders. For more than 30 years, the killer remains unknown—until familial DNA searching points detectives toward David Fuller, a 66-year-old hospital maintenance worker. His DNA confirms he is responsible for both people's lives. But the investigation also exposes a far larger and deeply disturbing pattern involving deceased patients at hospitals where Fuller worked. (13:31) 4 – Joseph James DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer Between 1976 and 1986, an unknown attacker terrorizes communities across California. For decades, investigators have DNA from multiple crime scenes but no name to attach to it. In 2018, investigative genetic genealogy changes everything. Detectives narrow their search to Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer living quietly in Citrus Heights. After collecting DNA from his car door handle and a discarded tissue from his trash, investigators confirm the match. More than 40 years after the attacks began, the Golden State Killer is finally arrested. (18:19) 5 – Eugene Gligor In 2001, 50-year-old Leslie Preer is found unalived inside her home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Investigators recover blood from several rooms and unidentified male DNA from beneath her fingernails, suggesting she fought back against her attacker. But the DNA profile produces no match in law-enforcement databases, and the case goes cold for more than two decades. In 2022, investigators submit preserved evidence for investigative genetic genealogy and uncover a surname connected to an old, overlooked tip: Gligor. In 2024, detectives follow Eugene Teodor Gligor to Washington Dulles International Airport, recover a water bottle he throws away, and test the DNA. It matches evidence from Leslie Preer’s home. Twenty-three years after the crime, Gligor is arrested and later pleads guilty to second-degree. Sign up for my newsletter at https://www.thescarecast.com to be notified of new content! 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes covering ghost stories, cryptids, UFOs/UAPs, unsolved mysteries, and true crime every week. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and RedCircle: The Scarecast podcast: https://linktr.ee/thescarecast 📱 Follow @thescarecast on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for daily paranormal content: https://linktr.ee/thescarecast Our Sponsors: * Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com and use promo code BEEF at checkout for $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
