In August 1999, two teenage girls: JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, were found dea-d in the trunk of a car by the roadside in Ozark, Alabama.
In August 1999, two teenage girls: JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, were found dea-d in the trunk of a car by the roadside in Ozark, Alabama.
They had been r-aped and shot in their heads. The semen collected from the crime scene yielded no positive leads as the DNA was not matched with anyone in the database.
The k-iller, Coley McCraney, who was 26 at the time went back to living his normal life. He even founded a church and became a bishop with children.
About two decades later he was arrested and stands trial for the m-urder of the two girls.
Coley was arrested after the DNA sample collected from the crime scene was submitted to Parabon Nanolabs, a company based in Reston, Virginia. They can predict people's physical appearance using DNA samples.
After Coley's arrest, the police collected another DNA sample from him which was a perfect watch with the semen collected at the crime scene.
How A New DNA Technology Helped Solve A Cold Case
Coley McCraney was arrested for a crime he committed 20 years ago, thanks to an advance in DNA technology.
With the help of a private lab and a public genealogy database, police in southeast Alabama arrested a man responsible for the deaths of two high school students 20 years ago.
Coley McCraney, age 45, is accused of killing J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett on August 1, 1999. Their bodies were found in the trunk of Beasley's car. Police say McCraney is also charged with raping Beasley.
Their bodies were found in the trunk of a car by the roadside
The two best friends, who were both 17, left their home in Dothan the night before to go to a birthday party, but they got lost on the way and ended up in nearby Ozark.
Hawlett is said to have called her mother later to let her know that they had gotten directions and were on their way home, but they never made it home.
Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker wouldn't say how McCraney met the girls that night. McCraney is married and used to drive a truck. He also spent a short time in the military.
He said that investigators haven't found a reason yet. But he explained how authorities were able to narrow in on McCraney as a suspect by using genetic genealogy.
According to him, this is a new DNA technology that is becoming popular with law enforcement since it was used in California to identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the suspect in the notorious "Golden State Killer" case.
Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker who is heavily involved in the case
"The Golden State Killer happens, we see it, and we're like, "You know what? Let's give it a try,' "Walker said.
How The New Method Works-Parabon NanoLabs
The method uses public DNA databases where people who have their own DNA profiles from commercial companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe can upload them to find more relatives.
Since DeAngelo's arrest, other cold case investigators have used unidentified suspect DNA profiles to search public databases of genetic blueprints in the hopes of finding a "partial match," or a relative, and making a family tree to narrow down the search for a suspect. Coley is now a pastor, Everyone was surprised when he was arrested.
Concerns about privacy have been raised about the method, but it gives investigators a new way to find answers when they have unidentified DNA profiles from crime scenes but can't find a match in the FBI's national criminal database. Since McCraney had never been arrested before, his DNA wasn't in a database called Combined DNA Index System(CODIS) because it wasn't there.
Walker said that his department worked with a private lab in Virginia called Parabon NanoLabs to run the analysis using the public database GEDMatch.
The two best friends were 17 when they were killed
The method uses a profile made from DNA found at the scene of the crime. Investigators found a relative of McCraney, which helped them figure out that he was a suspect. Walker said that McCraney's DNA sample confirmed that it was the same as the DNA found at the crime scene. He was arrested near Daleville during a traffic stop.
Parabon Nanolabs uses DNA to predict someone's physical appearance such as the images below
A work by Parabon Nanolabs
Walker said that McCraney's DNA sample confirmed that it was the same as the DNA found at the crime scene. He was arrested near Daleville during a traffic stop.
Walker said he knew McCraney, who went to school in Ozark, and was "very surprised" when the match came up.
Walker stated , "Everyone I talked to said the same thing." "But you can't fool DNA."
He said that arrest was "long overdue" for the community, law enforcement, and the families of the people who were killed.
People were relieved to know who committed the crime.
District Attorney Kirke Adams said that he would seek the death penalty for McCraney because he was facing multiple charges that could lead to the death penalty. He said that McCraney was being held in the Dale County jail without bail and that a preliminary hearing would be set up.
He told the families of the victims, "I can't imagine what you've been through or what you're thinking about right now."
"I promise you that J.B. and Tracie will be heard through my office," he said.
The new trial for Coley Lewis McCraney is set to start on April 17, 2023.
WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: 20 Most Shocking True Crime Stories of Miscarriage of Justice
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The Serial Killer Who Preserved 24 Bodies In Alcohol
Béla Kiss was a Hungarian serial killer. He is thought to have killed at least 23 young women and one man and tried to pickle their bodies in large metal drums that he kept in his home.
THE SHOOTING OF DONALD TAYLOR AND THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE
Page 1 — Introduction: A Call for Accountability and Truth My name is Leavie scott, and I stand before you today on behalf of the family, loved ones, and community members who continue to mourn the loss of Donald Taylor, a 32‑year‑old Black man whose life was taken by a Hollywood, Florida police officer on August 3, 2025.
The Silence After the Sirens
M Mehran The sirens screamed through the narrow streets of Lahore at 2:17 a.m., but by the time they arrived, the house on Street No. 14 was already silent. Too silent. Inspector Farhan Malik stood at the entrance, staring at the open wooden door. Years in criminal investigations had taught him one thing—when a crime scene feels calm, it’s usually hiding chaos underneath. Inside, the air smelled of iron and dust. On the living room floor lay the body of Ahsan Qureshi, a well-known property dealer with a spotless public reputation and a long list of enemies no one talked about.
He had been stabbed once—clean, precise, straight to the heart. No signs of forced entry. No signs of struggle. No weapon. “This wasn’t rage,” Farhan muttered. “This was intention.” A Perfect Man With Imperfect Secrets Ahsan Qureshi was the kind of man newspapers loved. Successful businessman. Charity donor. Family man. But criminal investigations rarely care about headlines. As Farhan flipped through the victim’s file, a different picture emerged. Land grabbing cases buried under settlements. Witnesses who had suddenly gone silent. One junior clerk who disappeared three years ago after accusing Ahsan of fraud. In criminal stories, the dead are rarely innocent. The only person in the house at the time of the murder was Ahsan’s wife, Zara Qureshi. She was found sitting on the bedroom floor, eyes blank, hands shaking—not crying. People who cry easily often hide things. People who don’t… usually know the truth. The Woman Who Knew Too Much Zara told the police she heard a sound, came out, and found her husband bleeding. Her statement was clean, almost rehearsed. But something about her silence bothered Farhan.
Later that night, while reviewing CCTV footage from nearby houses, Farhan noticed something strange. The cameras showed no one entering or leaving the house between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. If no outsider came in, only one conclusion remained. The killer was already inside. But criminal investigations aren’t built on assumptions—they’re built on cracks. And Farhan found one when he reviewed Zara’s phone records. Multiple calls. One number. Deleted messages. The number belonged to Sameer Ali—a former employee of Ahsan Qureshi. The same man who had filed a fraud complaint years ago and then vanished from the legal system. A Ghost From the Past Sameer Ali was found two days later in a rented room near the railway station. He didn’t resist arrest. He didn’t even look surprised. “I didn’t kill him,” Sameer said calmly during interrogation. “But I wanted him dead.” That sentence alone was enough to make him a suspect. Sameer revealed the truth Ahsan had buried for years. Fake documents. Illegal land seizures. Families thrown out of their homes overnight. When Sameer tried to expose him, Ahsan destroyed his career—and threatened his life. “But I left the city,” Sameer insisted. “I came back last week. To confront him. Not to kill him.” Farhan believed him. Criminals lie—but their lies have rhythm. Sameer’s story didn’t. Then who delivered the final blow? The Confession No One Expected The answer came quietly. Zara requested to speak to Inspector Farhan alone. “I didn’t plan to kill him,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I planned to leave.” She revealed a side of Ahsan the world never saw—emotional abuse, threats, control masked as love. The charity dinners, the smiles, the respect—all lies. “He ruined lives,” Zara whispered. “Including mine.” The night of the murder, Sameer had come to the house. Zara let him in. She wanted Ahsan to face someone he had destroyed. But the conversation turned violent. Ahsan laughed. Mocked him. Threatened him again. Then Ahsan turned to Zara. “He said I was lucky to be alive because of him.” That was the moment. Zara picked up the knife from the kitchen—not in anger, but in clarity. “One second,” she said. “That’s all it took.” Sameer ran. Zara stayed. Justice Beyond the Law The court case shocked the nation. Media headlines screamed “Wife Kills Philanthropist Husband”, but the truth was heavier than the words. Zara was convicted of manslaughter, not murder. The judge acknowledged years of psychological abuse. She was sentenced to seven years. Seven years for ending a lifetime of fear. As Farhan watched her being taken away, he felt something rare in criminal investigations—not satisfaction, not victory, but understanding. Criminal justice isn’t always black and white. Sometimes, it’s just silence after the sirens. And the knowledge that the real crime happened long before the knife ever touched the skin.
Trouble at the Tea Leafing Café
The rain had started right around the time that Annie was buttering her second thick slice of homemade toast for breakfast, and hadn’t paused since. Not that anyone could tell. The windows of the café were fogged over, and with every seat filled with happy customers munching on fresh baked pastries or steaming bowls of the delicious soup of the day, it was hardly surprising. Annie looked around the room, finally taking a moment to breathe after the lunch time rush. Her old life already felt like a bad memory, a part of her history, always, but just that. History.





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