This video by Othram Studios tells the true crime story of the 1989 murder of Mary Kelly, a 78-year-old woman living in Dallas, Texas, and how the case was finally solved decades later using investigative genetic genealogy.
The Discovery [02:14]: On January 19, 1989, Mary Kelly's family became concerned w
hen she did not answer her phone. Her brother-in-law went to her home, found her car missing, and used a key to enter [02:38]. After noticing a suitcase protruding from under a guest bed, he discovered her body hidden underneath [03:14]. An autopsy revealed she had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and str
angled to death [08:12].
The Cold Case [14:23]: Although police collected evidence at the time—including biological material from her robe that tested positive for sperm [09:22]—DNA testing was not advanced enough to identify a suspect, and the investigation eventually went cold. The Dallas Police Departm
ent reopened the case in 2004 [14:31], obtaining a male DNA profile, but it did not match anyone in the CODIS database [16:29].
Breakthrough with Genetic Genealogy [17:04]: In 2021, the Dallas County District Attorney’s cold case division partnered with Othram Studios, securing a grant from Season of Just
ice to perform advanced forensic DNA sequencing [18:27]. This created a high-performing profile uploaded to genealogical databases [19:26]. Genetic analysis narrowed down the family tree [20:44], eventually pointing investigators to two brothers from the Rojos family who had lived right next door to Mary
Kelly at the time of the murder [21:32].
Arrest and Trial [22:16]: Surveillance was placed on David Rojos [22:16], and a DNA sample extracted from a discarded beer bottle in his trash matched the crime scene DNA 100% [22:42]. Rojos was arrested and claimed the sexual encounter was consensual [24:58], a de
fense that was dismantled by testimony from neighbors and family [28:10]. In a jury trial tried under 1989 laws, Rojos was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison [29:13].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcQjemaFQkc
The Trail to Her Killer Led Right Next Door
Othram Studios · 116K view
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