WA- Tracy Jean Whitney, 18, last seen @ Burger KIng, found SA & strangled @ the Puyallup River, 28 Aug., '88, Dna- John Guillot Jr. (deceased) 2024

[dotr]

November 30, 2024

Cold case solved: Washington teenager’s killer finally identified after 35 years

Thirty-five years after her murder, Tracy Whitney’s family finally has the name of her killer, thanks to genetic genealogy.

www.kiro7.com

''FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Thirty-five years after her murder, Tracy Whitney’s family finally has the name of her killer, thanks to genetic genealogy.

On August 28th, 1988, fishermen at the Puyallup River near Sumner found the body of a woman.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, detectives investigated the case as a homicide after an autopsy revealed the woman’s cause of death was asphyxia caused by strangulation and probable smothering. She also had several blunt-force injuries and was believed to have been sexually assaulted.''

''Swabs taken from Whitney’s body back in 1988 were resubmitted for forensic genetic genealogy testing in March of 2022 by a retired detective sergeant. The results came back five months later, linking the DNA evidence with family lines leading back to the 1700s.
Police were then able to establish a family tree linking to a suspect, John Guillot Jr.''

 

[dotr]

Nov 30, 2024
''Tracy Whitney Cold Case SolvedOn August 28th 1988, Pierce County Deputies responded to a call of a body found in the Puyallup River near Sumner. Some fisherman had located the body of a woman who was nude right where the Puyallup and White Rivers meet. Detectives were called out to the scene and an autopsy was performed. The autopsy revealed the woman's cause of death was asphyxia caused by strangulation and probable smothering. She had several blunt force injuries and was believed to have been sexually assaulted. Her death was ruled a homicide and DNA swabs taken from the body.Detectives interviewed everyone who knew or had dated Tracy to try and find the killer. Unfortunately the case went cold for years. In 2005 the suspect DNA was sent in to CODIS, however no matches could be found. With a grant offered by the WA State Attorney General's Office, in 2022, the Cold Case Detective Sergeant submitted the DNA to a lab for Genetic Genealogy and they found a match. Unfortunately our suspect, John Guillot Jr., had died a few weeks prior. Detectives matched the suspect DNA to Guillot's biological son to confirm Guillot Jr. was the suspect. There were no connections between Tracy and Guillot Jr and detectives believe this was a stranger abduction, rape and murder.Our Cold Case Unit is always looking into the past trying to find answers for families just like Tracy's. We are glad they can finally have an answer and some closure with the solving of this case.''

 

[Aurora90]

I hope this guy’s dna was run against everyone/everything available in the system. He was also investigated for the death of his girlfriend in 2010 and his wife in 2020. Though he was never convicted of anything.

Thats a lot of dead women connected to him. Could there be more?