On June 16, 1987, the body of a young woman was discovered behind an auto repair shop on Collingwood Boulevard near Interstate 75. It appeared that she had been dead for at least several days. At the time she was … Continue reading “DNA Testing Begins in Toledo Cold Case” →
Writer Carolyn Berardino, author of the exclusive Porchlight Project article about the identification of the Paris Township John Doe, appears on WFMJ to speak about the discovery. Click here to watch.
By Carolyn Berardino After 35 years, The Portage County Sheriff’s Office, with help from Ohio’s BCI, has identified a John Doe, whose remains were found partially buried in a shallow grave in Paris Township in 1988. In August 2023, detectives … Continue reading “A Porchlight Project Exclusive: 1988 Paris Township John Doe Identified as David Kaziateck” →
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.” →
Exactly 43 years to the day after a woman’s body was found on the shores of Lake Erie, in Sandusky, Ohio, police have verified her identity as that of Patricia Eleanor Greenwood, born 1948. She has previous addresses listed in … Continue reading “Erie County Jane Doe Identified as Patricia Greenwood.” →
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.” →
Last week, police in Boardman, Ohio, held a press conference where they identified the killer of Brad Bellino, a twelve-year-old boy who was abducted and murdered there in 1972. Genetic genealogy led them to Joseph Hill, who lived nearby at … Continue reading “Boardman Police ID Brad Bellino’s Killer” →
Thank you to Kent State, for this wonderful article about the founding of The Porchlight Project! Renner put out a message on Facebook asking for help; it was answered by Alexa Doutt, a director of advancement at Kent State. The … Continue reading “Kent State Magazine features The Porchlight Project” →
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” →
The Porchlight Project will fully fund a new cold case out of Cuyahoga County for Othram Labs. In May 2014, a boater who was on Lake Erie spotted male human remains by the break wall of the Burke Lakefront Airport … Continue reading “The Porchlight Project Will Fund Othram Case for Cuyahoga County” →
