WI Traci Hammerberg - 18 yo - Grafton - 12/15/84

[stephgphillips]

On Saturday, December 15, 1984, in the early morning hours, the partially nude body of 18 year old Traci Lynn Hammerberg was found in a private driveway in the town of Grafton, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Traci Hammerberg was born on March 7, 1966. Autopsy findings revealed that Hammerberg had been sexually assaulted and struck in the head numerous times with a metallic object, causing multiple skull fractures and massive brain damage resulting in death. Semen recovered from the body during autopsy produced DNA that could be compared to any potential suspect. Investigation revealed Hammerberg had been at the former Drake family residence, located on S. Garfield Avenue in Port Washington, WI. Hammerberg left the residence around midnight between December 14 and December 15, 1984. It was reported she was last seen walking on foot from the residence embarking on an approximate 5 mile walk between Port Washington and Saukville; however, this has not been confirmed. The Drake family residence has been cleared through DNA. Hammerberg’s body was discovered in the driveway of a residence on Maple Road, a rural area in the Town of Grafton. This homeowner and his family were also cleared thru DNA. Between 1984 and present, several suspects were developed and questioned by State, County and local law enforcement officers. Numerous investigative leads were pursued. Hundreds of leads have been developed and eliminated. Based on the specific information involving the case, investigators believe the suspected killer is known to the area.

Ozaukee County Cold Case, Port Washington, WI (2019)

Ozaukee County Cold Case (official FB)

 

[waunakeegan]

Here’s some old articles I found on her murder.

 

[RookieInvestigator]

I remember watching an episode on a program like Dateline or 48 hours where several women from WI (I think) were murdered or missing...I believe LE connected the murders to a missing or killed woman in IN..I can't locate the episode but I'll keep trying to find it...

 

[RookieInvestigator]

I believe I found the video I was referring to...The possible serial killer was Larry Hall... Jimmy Keene was told if he transferred to the same prison as Larry and could get a confession, LE would help to reduce his sentence...

I found a copy of the episode...Not sure of the person who uploaded the video to their YT channel...I've seen the episode before so hopefully this is a good version of it...There was also an episode on a different network and it was called "The Inside Man"...

YOUTUBE VIDEO

 

[Schmitz5100]

Significant updates will be given about this case tomorrow at 2 pm. Source: News Graphic

 

[BLParks12]

This cold case has been solved through genetic genealogy. See the link below for details.

Cold case solved: Killer in 1984 Ozaukee County homicide ID’d through ‘genetic genealogy’

The DNA taken from Miss. Hammerberg's body was uploaded to an open source DNA website (think MyHeritage or GEDmatch) which matched the killers second cousin, leading LE to Philip J. Cross. It is unclear he and Miss. Hammerberg knew each other, but somehow their paths crossed that night.

Unfortunately Cross died in 2012 of a drug overdose, so the family will never be able to face Miss. Hammerberg's killer. Apparently Cross lived a life of alcohol and drug abuse. Who knows, maybe the guilt lead him to live the way he did. I wonder if he can be linked to any other murders.

 

[jaejae]

Here is a video report about the developments in this case:

 

[dotr]

Cold case solved: Killer in 1984 Ozaukee County homicide ID’d through ‘genetic genealogy’
In 2012, at age 48, Cross was found unresponsive in a northwest side motel with a crack pipe nearby and a needle in his lap.


Philip Cross

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about this case:

https://nypost.com/2019/10/22/genetic-testing-helps-crack-35-year-old-wisconsin-murder-case/

In 2019, police decided to use forensic genealogy crack the case and reached out to the Los Angeles FBI team who helped solve the Golden State Killer cold case with the technology.

Police used the technology to track any distant second-cousin of the attacker, which led them to Cross.

 

[naernae]

Here’s some old articles I found on her murder.

Thank you I grew up in this town at this same time and remember the fear it induced and When Wendy was killed on the "port steps" it shook this town. So pleased for the family to have closure this month.

 

[naernae]

Cold case solved: Killer in 1984 Ozaukee County homicide ID’d through ‘genetic genealogy’
In 2012, at age 48, Cross was found unresponsive in a northwest side motel with a crack pipe nearby and a needle in his lap.


Philip Cross

Where can I read this file unobstructed? I'm in Wisconsin so do I need to request it through open records?

 

[dotr]

Where can I read this file unobstructed? I'm in Wisconsin so do I need to request it through open records?

Welcome to Ws naernae!
Sorry not sure of the answer to your question, but seeing the name and number of the examiner on the file page shown in pic.wondering if you could phone directly?

 

[dotr]

Forensic genealogy solves 1984 cold case murder of Traci Hammerberg in Ozaukee County
Sheriff Johnson said Cross was not one of their initial suspects. He said Cross and Hammerberg used to ride the same bus to school. He believes the two ran into each other that night after Hammerberg left a party.

Cross, who was 21-years-old at the time, left her body in the town of Grafton.

“Philip Cross had a volatile temper and was known to act violently when he didn’t get his way,” Sheriff Johnson said.

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about the developments in this case:

Cold Case Solved: 35 Years After Woman Was Strangled Walking Home, Police Identify Killer

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about the identification of a suspect in this case:

Help from afar
In March 2019, the Los Angeles Forensic Genetic Genealogy team took on the case, with assistance from Barbara Rae-Venter, an acclaimed genetic genealogy consultant.

Investigators had used most of the DNA evidence from the Hammerberg murder scene on other forensic tests, but there was still some DNA left on a piece of evidence. The DNA was sent to a private lab, which created a DNA profile. That profile was uploaded to a genealogy database, similar to those used by Ancestry.com and other genetic testing companies.

The genealogy database was able to compare the DNA profile of the suspect with a large network of genetic profiles, and then measure the similarity of those DNA profiles through a measurement called centiMorgans.

The number of centiMorgans indicates how closely the person in the database is related to the DNA sample collected from the murder scene. For example, a parent and child will share about 3,400 centiMorgans, whereas a first cousin or a great-grandparent will share about 850 centiMorgans, according to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki website.

Get Access

 

[imstilla.grandma]

"We are anxious to share with the community and all who knew her," said the sheriff's office in a Facebook post.

On Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., the sheriff's office will release new details in the homicide case of 18-year-old Traci Hammerberg.

Hammerberg was killed on Dec. 15, 1984. Her body was found partially naked in the driveway of a Town of Grafton home on Maple Road. An autopsy revealed Hammerberg died from severe blows to her head. Her killer(s) have never been found.

People who live near Maple Road today remembered when the 18-year-old was found, and after three decades they still want to know what happened.

The sheriff's office will share the new findings in a Facebook Live stream. Visit their Facebook page to tune in.
Ozaukee County 1984 cold case solved, sheriff says

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Authorities in the Milwaukee area solved the 35-year-old murder and rape of Traci Hammerberg by connecting a DNA profile to a second cousin registered in a genealogy database.

Philip Cross, a Wisconsin man who died of a drug overdose in 2012, was identified as a suspect in the 1984 cold case out of Port Washington, the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday. Traci was killed Dec. 15, 1984, after partying with her friends and leaving after midnight to walk almost four miles home.

Traci's body was found brutally beaten and partially naked in a driveway in the early morning. An autopsy determined that the 18-year-old had been raped, strangled and had her head bludgeoned with a metallic object.

Though authorities at the time were able to compose a DNA profile from semen found on Traci's body, a suspect was never identified.

Police began looking into genealogy databases in March in the hopes that the DNA profile they created in 1985 might match with a potential relative of Traci's murderer. Investigators found a potential second cousin who could lead them to their killer.

Authorities then began to build out the cousin's family tree and began to eliminate family members from a list of suspects. Cross was identified by authorities in August as someone who could fit the profile and could potentially have been in the Port Washington area at the time.
35-year-old cold case murder in Wisconsin solved using DNA and genealogy, police say

 

[Ms. Sleuth]

Authorities in the Milwaukee area solved the 35-year-old murder and rape of Traci Hammerberg by connecting a DNA profile to a second cousin registered in a genealogy database.

Philip Cross, a Wisconsin man who died of a drug overdose in 2012, was identified as a suspect in the 1984 cold case out of Port Washington, the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday. Traci was killed Dec. 15, 1984, after partying with her friends and leaving after midnight to walk almost four miles home.

Traci's body was found brutally beaten and partially naked in a driveway in the early morning. An autopsy determined that the 18-year-old had been raped, strangled and had her head bludgeoned with a metallic object.

Though authorities at the time were able to compose a DNA profile from semen found on Traci's body, a suspect was never identified.

Police began looking into genealogy databases in March in the hopes that the DNA profile they created in 1985 might match with a potential relative of Traci's murderer. Investigators found a potential second cousin who could lead them to their killer.

Authorities then began to build out the cousin's family tree and began to eliminate family members from a list of suspects. Cross was identified by authorities in August as someone who could fit the profile and could potentially have been in the Port Washington area at the time.
35-year-old cold case murder in Wisconsin solved using DNA and genealogy, police say

This is such good new. I am glad they were able to track down her killer and give her family closure. Hopefully with this case solved, any related murders from the same killer can now be solved.

 

[Quoththeraven]

This cold case has been solved through genetic genealogy. See the link below for details.

Cold case solved: Killer in 1984 Ozaukee County homicide ID’d through ‘genetic genealogy’

The DNA taken from Miss. Hammerberg's body was uploaded to an open source DNA website (think MyHeritage or GEDmatch) which matched the killers second cousin, leading LE to Philip J. Cross. It is unclear he and Miss. Hammerberg knew each other, but somehow their paths crossed that night.

Unfortunately Cross died in 2012 of a drug overdose, so the family will never be able to face Miss. Hammerberg's killer. Apparently Cross lived a life of alcohol and drug abuse. Who knows, maybe the guilt lead him to live the way he did. I wonder if he can be linked to any other murders.

To those wondering whether the Wendy Smith case was ever connected to Hammerberg's case, it wasn't. Thomas M. Kirsch, of Port Washington, WI, was implicated in the Wendy Smith case. According to Wisconsin's inmate locator, he's currently in a supervised living facility, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, in Winnebago, WI.

 

[CastlesBurning]

1984 Wisconsin cold case: Nancy Grace true-crime series on murder

The 1984 murder of Saukville teenager Traci Hammerberg, solved last year thanks to DNA evidence, is the focus of an installment in a new true-crime series hosted by Nancy Grace.

"Bloodline Detectives," a new syndicated series debuting the weekend of Oct. 2, shows how DNA profiling technologies, genetic genealogy and familial searching are used to solve cold cases.