Australia QLD, Owen Edward "Eddie" Crabbe, 57, May 1982, new focus using genetic geneology and snapshot to try to ID killer

[iamshadow21]

Police use DNA to create picture of murder suspects face, hope it will solve 40yo cold case

Police are hopeful a new investigative DNA tool could lead to a breakthrough in a 40-year-old Gold Coast cold case murder.

Owen Edward "Eddie" Crabbe, 57, was found dead in his room at the Beachcomber apartments in 1982. His killer has never been identified.

Police have now used DNA obtained from blood samples at the scene to generate a picture of what his killer's face could have looked like – the first time "investigative genetic genealogy" has ever been used in Queensland.

Looks like Eddie was an out, gay man (since 1969), and, frankly, Australia was criminally negligent at investigating crimes, especially hate crimes, against queer people for a very long time. It is good to see movement on this case, especially as Eddie has surviving family waiting for answers.

This second link is about a different state, NSW, rather than QLD, but it shows the kind of things that are beginning to be done in different parts of the country. Here's hoping it leads to healing and justice.

'Dark part of Sydney's history': Inquiry begins into 40 years of 'lonely and terrifying' deaths

 

[dotr]

Police use DNA to create picture of murder suspects face, hope it will solve 40yo cold case

Police have used DNA obtained from blood samples at a murder scene to generate a picture of what the killer's face may have looked like – the first time "investigative genetic genealogy" has ever been used in Queensland.

www.abc.net.au

''Police have now used DNA obtained from blood samples at the scene to generate a picture of what his killer's face could have looked like – the first time "investigative genetic genealogy" has ever been used in Queensland.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tara Kentwell appealed to the public to find the mystery man, with a $500,000 reward – and indemnity from prosecution – offered to anyone with information that may lead to his apprehension and conviction.''

''A DNA generated image of a man police want to to speak to in relation to the cold case murder of Owen Eddie Crabbe in May 1982.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
"A full DNA profile of the male person has been generated from the blood but at this time does not match any person recorded on national or international law enforcement or genetic genealogy DNA databases.''

Police have released a sketch of a man who was seen with Owen Edward Crabbe before he was found dead in an apartment on the Gold Coast in 1982.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)

''Investigators have also uploaded the DNA samples from Mr Crabbe's murder scene to police databases, generating a "genealogy tree" of 15,000 "linked" individuals, but have so far been unable to find a close match.''