Albuquerque Police Using Genealogy To Identify Murder Victims

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque police detectives are using genealogy to solve decades-old cold case crimes. In this latest example, APD and the FBI identified the victims from two cold case homicides using genealogy and DNA research.

Despite signs of foul play when their skeletal remains were discovered years ago, the women were only known as ‘Jane Doe’ until now. Kyle Hartsock, Commander of APD’s Criminal Investigation Division, joins Chris and Gabby to discuss how law enforcement is leveraging this technology, a grassroots DNA database, and federal grant funds to solve crimes that have been unsolvable until now.

Hartsock shares how genealogy is being used to identify sex crime offenders as well as murder victims in cold cases. The APD Commander explains how building family trees with genealogy is giving detectives a leg up in piecing together the puzzle in complex violent crime cases.

Commander Hartsock said the technology is especially helpful in cases where all other leads have been exhausted. “The old school thinking was just let the detective cook, right?” Hartsock explained. “Well sure, but sometimes they just keep making a bowl of cereal.”

Listen to the full discussion above to learn how APD and the FBI were finally able to identify Carmela Vivian Duran from her remains found in 1994, and Terry Matthews, whose remains were found in 2013.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Insiders every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify , and Podbean , among others.

You can now watch our podcasts in video form both on-air or online. Tune in to an abbreviated version of the New Mexico News Insiders podcast on broadcast television every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. on Fox New Mexico. Full video episodes are posted on KRQE’s YouTube page at youtube.com/krqenews13 .

Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term “KRQE” or “New Mexico News Insiders” (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each respective service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion as to who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.