Jan 16, 2026
NORTHEAST OHIO
Hidden homicides: DNA lab research reveals several hundred more unidentified cases may be murders
Several hundred more cold case homicides could be out there not being investigated, leaving families without answers and criminals walking free.
www.cleveland19.com
By
Sara Goldenberg Jan. 16, 2026 lengthy article.
''CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Several hundred more cold case homicides could be out there not being investigated, leaving families without answers and criminals walking free.
Clearing the backlog of John and Jane Doe cases could reveal those homicides, according to a powerful DNA lab that works to identify them.''
“It’s been described as a silent mass disaster,” said Colby Lasyone, chief of staff at Othram, a DNA lab in the Houston area.
Othram is solving John and Jane Doe cases at a rapid pace with investigative genetic genealogy.
“And it’s our belief that the resolution of these John and Jane Doe cases are important for social and humanitarian efforts as well as to bring justice and to provide answers for families, victims, and law enforcement,” he said.
Lasyone said systemic issues need to change to fix the problem.
“What we say here at Othram is that unsolved crime is a choice,” he said. “Unsolved John and Jane Doe victims are a choice. Every case can be resolved if there’s DNA,” Lasyone said.''