When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires. Verified by Psychology Today
Posted December 31, 2024 Reviewed by Kaja Perina
As the year 2024 ends, police have solved some of the oldest cold-case murders using new crime-solving methods that didn’t exist when the crimes occurred. DNA and genetic genealogy are technologies that continue to grow across the country, and more law enforcement agencies are using them to solve crimes, as evidenced by their recently solved murders.
Below are five of those cases, which coincide with projections that the national homicide rate in 2024 is on track to return to levels close to those recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, per the Brookings Institution. The lower homicide numbers mark a trend for the third year in a row.
Included in those statistics is a murder in California that happened 45 years ago. It was the case of Lewis Randy Williamson, who killed 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez just off Highway 243 in Riverside County in 1979, which remained unsolved–until now. In November 2024, the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team announced that they had identified the killer as Williamson, who died in 2014, using forensic genealogy to confirm his identity.
According to Esther’s older sister, Elizabeth, the Gonzalez family reacted to the findings with mixed emotions.
“We are very happy that we finally have closure,” Elizabeth Gonzalez wrote in an email published by CNN. “We are happy about it, but since the guy has died, a little sad that he won’t spend any time for her murder.”
Another solved cold case over four decades ago is that of Kathy Halle. The North Aurora Police Department in Illinois determined that serial killer Bruce Lindahl had murdered her. DNA Labs International confirmed that DNA found on Halle’s clothing was 9.4 trillion times likely to have originated from Lindahl. Also, patterns from Lindahl’s known crimes led investigators to conclude he was responsible, according to police.
Investigators believed Lindahl killed a dozen women and girls. In 1981, he died in his Chicago apartment from an accidental self-inflicted knife injury to his leg.
In another solved case, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho closed its investigation in June 2024 into 25-year-old Mary Tracy’s murder, stabbed to death in 1980. Passers-by found Tracy’s body lying in tall grass next to a highway. After investigators reopened the case in 2023 at the family’s request, DNA results a year later identified a highly possible suspect, that of Charles Nicholas Strain, who died in prison in 2007.
For police in Oklahoma, solving another violent murder, Lela Johnston’s, in her own home–a case that sat dormant nearly 50 years. The Oklahoma City Police Department Cold Case Unit reported that it was their first time using new research methods to solve a homicide case when DNA Labs International found a positive match for a man named Charles Droke, who was himself murdered. Police then closed the case.
The news brought closure for Johnston’s family. “I thought it would never be finished,” Johnston’s granddaughter, Leslie Sullenger, told police in a statement that included in their press release. “It had been so long.”
Another cold case, that of hitchhiker Mary K. Schlais, stabbed to death in 1974, was also solved with DNA testing. The results of that testing prompted police to arrest 84-year-old Jon Miller, said the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office at a recorded news conference.” According to Dan Westlund, an investigator who worked the case, the victim’s family was relieved to learn police had made an arrest.
“We don’t want to forget that this is about justice for Mary and bringing her family closure,” Westlund told the media at the news conference. “Mary can be remembered as an accomplished artist, equestrian, sister and daughter.”
As for the projected lower homicide rate in 2024, San Diego family psychologist Gina Simmons said, “Research reveals many harmful effects after witnessing or experiencing violent crime. Violence causes anxiety and stress, with negative physical impacts. The recent sharp drop in crime should help. Feeling safe is necessary for wellbeing and optimal mental health.”
Cathy Scott is a true crime author, journalist and blogger based in Las Vegas and San Diego.
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When we fall prey to perfectionism, we think we’re honorably aspiring to be our very best, but often we’re really just setting ourselves up for failure, as perfection is impossible and its pursuit inevitably backfires.
