Kermit Wane Anderson had no identification when his body was found, so investigators referred to him as John Doe for years. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.<\/p>\n
That changed last year when the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (MCOME) took the investigation out of state in 2024.<\/p>\n
How did genetic genealogy help crack a 13-year-old cold case in Phoenix?<\/p>\n
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- The office sent a bloodstain to the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center (IGG) in New Jersey.<\/li>\n
- The IGG sent part of the bloodstone to Genologue in Georgia for a DNA extraction and whole genome sequencing.<\/li>\n
- Genologue sent files to Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia to collect further further biological information.<\/li>\n
- Eventually, the IGG uploaded genetic file to a massive online database called GEDmatch Pro<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A group of IGG students took over research for the case. Within a month, they identified Kermit Wayne Anderson as a possible DNA match. They sent the information to MCOME, which asked the Arizona Attorney General\u2019s Office Cold Case Unit for a sample from Anderson\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
That sample confirmed that the body belonged to Anderson on May 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many families have had to wait far too long for answers and justice,\u201d Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a Thursday announcement<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m proud of our Cold Case Unit and the work they are doing to close these cases and deliver answers to the family members of missing and murdered Arizonans.\u201d<\/p>\n
We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n
Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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