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Could a bloody footprint at the scene of a murder help solve the case? | Full Episode + Post Mortem

2025-09-12 News & Politics
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48 Hours
48 Hours
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Cold Case Solved: DNA and Bloody Footprints Link Businessman to 1993 Murder

Discover how two decades of forensic stagnation broke wide open when investigative genetic genealogy matched unknown DNA to a local businessman, leading to the conviction for the brutal 1993 murder of Jeanie Childs.

Short Summary

  • Solve a 27-year-old murder using advanced investigative genetic genealogy techniques on trace evidence.
  • Key evidence involved bloody bare footprints and consistent unknown DNA profiles found across multiple surfaces in the crime scene.
  • The eventual suspect, Jerry Westerm, was a long-time community member with no prior history of violent crime.
  • The resulting trial hinged almost entirely on the interpretation of latent friction ridge patterns from the bloody footprints.

This report details the shocking identification of Jerry Westerm as the killer of Jeanie Childs, who was stabbed over 65 times in 1993. We explore the critical role forensic science played—from initial DNA collection failure to the triumphant identification via genealogy—and the evidentiary battle over bloody footprints that sealed the conviction.

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Description

"48 Hours" correspondents Anne-Marie Green and Erin Moriarty discuss the cold case murder of Jeanie Childs, who was stabbed to death in 1993. Almost three decades later, her killer was finally convicted. Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives. Subscribe to the "48 Hours" YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/48hours Watch full episodes of "48 Hours": https://cbsnews.com/48-hours/full-episodes/ Listen to the "48 Hours" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/48-Hours Listen to the "My Life of Crime with Erin Moriarty" podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/CBSNewsMLOC Follow "48 Hours" on Instagram: https://instagram.com/48hoursCBS/ Like "48 Hours" on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/48hours Follow "48 Hours" on Twitter: https://twitter.com/48hours Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cbsnews.com/newsletter/ Download the CBS News app: https://cbsnews.com/mobile/ Try Paramount+ free: https://paramountplus.com/?ftag=PPM-05-10aeh8h For video licensing inquiries, contact: [email protected]

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