Meridian Township Cold Case Solved After 30 Years

A cold case from more than three decades ago just got solved, and it just happened right her in Meridian Township, and it's not something that you see everyday either.

The cold case dates back to 1994 was closed, thanks to DNA technology that police worked with.

What Happened in 1994

The case involved a brutual crime in which a man broke into a womans home, sexually assaulted her, and then fled the scene. For years, investigators couldn't tie anyone to the crim, even with their best efforts.

Leads had dried up, but the police never gave up. They preserved DNA evidence from 1994, which gave them the opprtunity to help solve this decades old case. A moment to solve the case, however, happened when CODIS, the FBI's national DNA database gave a breakthrough match.

How DNA Evidence Was Preserved

Investigators were able to connect the evidence directly to Sean Patrick McNulty, a man who had been active across multiple states before his death back in 1997. Thanks to the advancments in DNA analysis, this case was able to be solved, something we couldn't do back in the 90's.

Detective Chief Bart Crane, explained that the challenges were different for the case at the time.

 “Back in 1994, cell phones weren’t a thing… landlines were how you got a hold of people,” he said.

Because of the limitations in technology, it made it that much harder to solve this case.

What This Means Now

With how fast and advanced technology has evolved, it has made it that much easier for detectives to solve these cases. For Crane and his team, it meant they finally go thte confirmation they needed to bring closure to the family.

While McNulty won't face any charges in court, it has proved that the technology of today can be useful in solved these cold cases.