Val Bogart, Lead Genealogist for the Porchlight Project, Awarded by Youngstown PD.

Congratulations to Lead Genealogist for the Porchlight Project, Val Bogart, who received a special reward for service from the Youngstown Police Department at their annual awards ceremony. Earlier this year Val successfully identified an unknown homicide victim from a 46 … Continue reading “Val Bogart, Lead Genealogist for the Porchlight Project, Awarded by Youngstown PD.”

The Porchlight Project Solves John Doe Case for Youngstown P.D.

The Porchlight Project’s own genetic genealogist, Val Bogart, tracked a DNA profile from a 1976 Youngstown John Doe to a specific family tree, and identified Robert “Earl” Sanders as the victim. This is the first solve for our in-house genealogist … Continue reading “The Porchlight Project Solves John Doe Case for Youngstown P.D.”

Porchlight Board Member Yvonne Pointer Writes Personal Op-Ed for Cleveland.com

Gloria Pointer will forever be 14, says her mother, Yvonne, a Porchlight Project board member and victims advocate. Gloria was murdered in 1984. In 2013, DNA from the crime was matched to convicted rapist Hernandez Warren. Says Yvonne: “It was … Continue reading “Porchlight Board Member Yvonne Pointer Writes Personal Op-Ed for Cleveland.com”

An Exclusive Porchlight Project Investigation: The Unsolved Murder of Brad Bellino

by Carolyn Berardino The Crime In 1972, Boardman, Ohio was a growing, still somewhat rural community where kids were free to roam and explore, independent of the careful watch of their parents that kids know today.  A suburb of Youngstown, … Continue reading “An Exclusive Porchlight Project Investigation: The Unsolved Murder of Brad Bellino”