The murder of Christine "Christy" Mirack
East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania · 1992
Overview
Christy Mirack, a 25-year-old sixth-grade teacher, was raped, beaten, and strangled in her East Lampeter Township, Pennsylvania home and found on December 21, 1992. The case went cold for 26 years until investigative genetic genealogy identified local DJ Raymond Charles Rowe, who pleaded guilty in 2019 and is serving life without parole.
How it was solved
After crime-scene DNA failed to match anyone in the FBI's national database, investigators worked with Parabon NanoLabs, whose lead genealogist CeCe Moore uploaded the killer's genotype to a public genealogy database, producing matches to distant relatives of Raymond Rowe. On May 31, 2018, investigators surreptitiously collected DNA from gum and a water bottle Rowe discarded while DJing at an elementary school; a state police crime lab matched it to DNA from Mirack's body and the carpet beneath her, leading to his June 25, 2018 arrest.
Sources
- 'He Did It': Raymond Rowe, for Years a Well-Known DJ, Admits to Killing Christy Mirack in 1992
“detectives subsequently authorized Parabon to upload the genotype file to a public, genetic genealogy database, which resulted in matches to relatives of Raymond Rowe.”
- Christy Mirack's Killer Has Post-Conviction Petition Denied
“pleaded guilty to criminal homicide, three counts of rape by forcible compulsion, and two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse on January 8, 2019”
- How DNA, genetic genealogy led to a wedding DJ facing criminal homicide charges in 1992 cold case
“Mirack, 25, was found dead in her East Lampeter Township townhome on the morning of Dec. 21, 1992.”
- How Genetic Genealogy Helped Solve Christy Mirack's Murder
“Police gathered DNA evidence from Mirack's body and from the crime scene, but it didn't turn up any matches when they entered it into the FBI's national DNA database.”
- Using genetic genealogy to convict Raymond Charles Rowe
“the DNA from those items matched the DNA recovered from the carpet in Mirack's living room.”