Top 8 Mysteries Solved Thanks to Dna Tests
We know that you love secrets and mysteries of all kinds and that's normal: we're all intrigued by the unknown. We have already told you about the greatest mysteries of the 21st century and the criminal cases that have never been solved and it is infuriating not to know what happened. Fortunately, today we have a way to solve many investigations: DNA tests. Whether it is to find missing persons or serial killers , DNA testing is super useful.
1. The disappearance of Bobby Dunbar
In 1912, a four year old boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing. After 8 months of searching, authorities find a baby boy who matches the search criteria. He goes by the name of Bruce Anderson and stays with a friend of his mother's, William Walters, in Mississippi. The Dunbar family believe the child is their son and sue Julia Anderson (Bruce's mother) to get him back. The latter cannot afford a lawyer and ends up abandoning the child while Walters is convicted of kidnapping. The child will therefore live with the Dunbar and live under the identity of Bobby Dunbar until his death.
In 2004, Bruce Anderson / Bobby Dunbar's son decided to do a DNA test and compare the result to that of his cousin, Bobby's brother. The results showed that the two men were not blood related. It is therefore now clear that the child was indeed Bruce Anderson, a child taken from his mother at the age of 5 and raised by another family.
2. The little martyrdom of the A10
In 1987, the body of a little girl of about 4 years old was found on the edge of the A10 motorway. Everyone is then convinced that the child has been abducted and his identity is actively sought. His photo is broadcast in 30 different countries and posters are put up in all public places, but that's not all. 65,000 schools and 6,000 doctors are questioned to find out if a child is missing, without success. Thirty years later, DNA test results are finally revealing the truth. The girl's name is Inass Touloub and was killed by a member of her family, probably her mother, before being abandoned on the side of the road.
3. The True Identity of Jack the Ripper
In the fall of 1888, a serial killer was attacking prostitutes in the foggy streets of London and no one ever managed to stop him. There were several suspects in the case including Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber who has always claimed his innocence. He had been recognized in a dark alley after the murder but had been released for lack of evidence. In 2016, a businessman bought a shawl belonging to one of the victims at an auction, which contained blood and semen. The man decides to have the shawl analyzed and goes in search of the descendants of Aaron Kosminski and the victim. The latter agree to undergo DNA tests and the tests are formal: the blood is indeed that of the prostitute and the sperm is that of Aaron Kosminski.
4. The half-brother found by chance
In the years 2000-2010, the American authorities decide to use the new technology of DNA tests to identify the victims of John Wayne Gacy, infamous serial killer of the 1970s. A woman decides to contact the authorities because her half-brother , Andy Drath, disappeared in 1978 and it is possible that he crossed paths with this man. She then participates in the tests but her DNA has nothing in common with that of the victims. On the other hand, his DNA has entered the system and this is what will help find Andy's trace. The latter's body was found in 1979 on a beach, shot in the head, and the investigation was quickly abandoned for lack of clues.
5. A mummy identified 3000 years later
Historians knew that Ramses III, pharaoh of Egypt, had been the victim of a coup d'etat because it was written in papyri kept in Turin. Yet no one really knew if the pharaoh was murdered then or if he died later. Thanks to 3D imagery, a historian was able to see cuts on the neck, under the bands of the mummy. The historian also performed DNA analyzes on a mummy that had been buried with Ramses III and was able to claim that the two people had blood ties.
6. The arrest of the Golden State killer
Between 1976 and 1986, a serial killer raged in the streets of several cities in California. One person is believed to be responsible for 13 murders, around 50 rapes and more than 120 burglaries and despite the best efforts of the police, the culprit is still running. After years of research, the investigation is finally moving forward. The DNA of the culprit had not been found in the DNA files of the American police, but the DNA of a distant cousin is identified in the database of a genealogy company which proposes to reconstruct his family tree. This is the first time in the world that such research has been undertaken and it is what will lead to the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., the notorious Golden State killer.
7. Sinking of the Titanic in 1912
In 1912, the Titanic was wrecked in the Atlantic Ocean, killing around 1,500 people on board. Hundreds of people could not be identified as entire families perished that day. The only child's body recovered is that of an approximately 2-year-old baby and its identity has remained unknown for almost 100 years. He was buried with an anonymous plaque and since then several families have claimed that the child was part of their family but nothing could prove it. In 2007, DNA analyzes were done on the body and the child was officially identified as Sidney Leslie Goodwin, a one and a half year old 3rd class passenger. All eight members of the Godwin family, who left for America in search of a new life, perished in the shipwreck and Sydney's body is the only one that has been found.
8. A conspiracy theory debunked
Rudolf Hess had been Hitler's deputy since the early 1920s and in 1941 he flew to England to try, according to some sources, to negotiate peace between Germany and Britain. Upon his arrival, he was imprisoned and tried after the war during the Nuremberg trials, but since then, a conspiracy theory claims that it was a trap. The man was in truth by Rudolf Hess and the latter would have fled abroad. After his death, his body was destroyed by cremation but in 2019, a blood sample was found and allowed to prove by DNA analysis that the man was indeed Hitler's deputy.
