The murder of Jennifer Persia
Magnolia, Camden County, New Jersey · 1994
Overview
Jennifer Lynne Persia, a 16-year-old sophomore at Sterling High School, was beaten, bound at the neck with a ligature, and stabbed more than 20 times in her family home in Magnolia, Camden County, New Jersey, on April 4, 1994. DNA collected at the scene never matched a known suspect, and the case went cold for more than three decades. In 2025 New Jersey State Police re-tested clothing from the 1993 murder of 24-year-old Marebeth Welsh; the resulting male DNA profile matched the unknown blood profile from Persia's scene, linking the two killings. Investigative genetic genealogy and kinship DNA testing of relatives identified Francis T. Schooley, a Mantua Township man who had done construction work for Persia's stepfather and who died by suicide in 2000 at age 39, as the source of the DNA in both cases. Because Schooley was dead, no prosecution was possible; the Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced the findings on April 9, 2026.
How it was solved
DNA recovered from blood at the Persia scene in 1994 and from spermatozoa on Marebeth Welsh's clothing in 1993 had been entered into the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) but never matched a known offender. The cases began to move after the Camden County Prosecutor's Office stood up a full-time Homicide Cold Case Unit in January 2024. In August 2025, Welsh's shirt and underwear were resubmitted to the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences for additional analysis; the male DNA profile developed from that clothing matched the unknown male profile from Persia's murder scene, scientifically connecting the two crimes for the first time. Investigators then turned to investigative genetic genealogy, working with Parabon NanoLabs to build a family tree from the unknown profile and narrow the field of potential contributors. Detectives identified Francis T. Schooley as a person of interest and obtained reference DNA samples from his immediate family members. Kinship analysis reported that it was roughly 4.8 million times more likely that the source of the crime-scene DNA was a child of Schooley's parent than an unrelated person, a result consistent with a parent-child relationship. Detectives also found real-world links: Schooley had performed construction work at the home of Persia's stepfather and at an auto shop the stepfather co-owned, and held a stake in a mini race car the shop sponsored, while a Welsh relative recalled seeing Marebeth with Schooley before her death. Schooley had died by suicide in 2000 at age 39, so although prosecutors said he would have been charged in both murders, no criminal case could proceed. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced the identification at a news conference on April 9, 2026.
Sources
- Suspect in two N.J. cold-case killings from 1990s identified through DNA analysis, prosecutors say
“Authorities said Schooley would have been charged if he were alive, but he died by suicide in 2000 at the age of 39.”
- Suspect in cold case killings of Marebeth Welsh and Jennifer Persia identified after yearslong investigation
“the Camden County Prosecutor's Office established a full-time Homicide Cold Case Unit in January 2024”
- Detectives use DNA to ID suspect in cold case murders of NJ teen, woman
“Jennifer Persia, 16, was found in her home in Magnolia with multiple incised neck and chest wounds and ligature strangulation”
- Decades-old South Jersey murders linked by new DNA testing; suspect identified
“Investigative genetic genealogy testing connected both crimes to the same individual, and family member DNA swabs confirmed Francis T. Schooley as the source.”
- Francis T. Schooley Suspected in Murders of Marebeth Welsh, Jennifer Persia
“Schooley performed construction work at Persia's stepfather's home and at an auto shop the stepfather co-owned, and held an ownership stake in a mini race car sponsored by the shop.”
- SOLVED - The Murder of Jennifer Persia
“The kinship analysis showed it was 4.8 million times more likely that the source of the DNA profile was a child of Schooley's parent.”
- DNA, advanced technology helps solve two cold case murders in Camden County
“These two young women never had the chance to tell their own story. Their lives were taken far too soon.”
- Police say DNA links dead NJ man to two Camden County cold case killings
“Francis T. Schooley, a Mantua Township man who died by suicide in 2000, was identified as the person responsible for the murders.”