Contents
On June 1, 1989, 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson left for school, but never made it. The girl was mugged and strangled. There were many similar cases, but Stephanie was made history. The perpetrator of the murder was discovered after 32 years thanks to the smallest DNA sample used so far.
- For 32 years, it was not known who attacked, used and murdered a 14-year-old girl from Las Vegas
- Investigators only had a tiny sample of DNA. There was not enough genetic material to identify the culprit
- The breakthrough came this year. The researchers decided to return to a case that had been in the police X archives for decades. And they finally succeeded
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Death of Stephanie Isaacson. The girl was going to school
It was a late spring morning in 1989. 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson, as many times before, left the house at 6.30 am short-cut to school for lessons. The girl never reached the building. A brutal killer appeared on her way. He sexually assaulted a 14-year-old and then strangled his underage victim. Stephanie’s body was found a short distance from her standard home-to-school route.
Trace amounts of biological material were collected on site. It turned out that there is not enough evidence for the investigation to reach its final conclusion. Stephanie Isaacson, like so many murder victims before and after her, ended up in the Police X-Files. This was to be another case that would never be resolved. The killer will feel unpunished, and Stephanie’s family will never be brought to justice.
- Check also: The Polish hospital confused the children. The twin sisters were separated
In the case of Stephanie Isaacson, however, the story’s ending turned out to be quite different. Hopeless as the case seemed, the analyst kept moving forward. So much so that in 2021, scientists managed to identify the criminal on the basis of the smallest DNA sample in history. It only took 15 skin cells. That was exactly what it took to identify the man who killed Stephanie Isaacson.
The smallest DNA sample ever. That’s how Stephanie’s killer was discovered
The Stephanie Isaacson case has been re-examined thanks to the Texas lab. Scientists began using advanced technology there, and an anonymous donor made a donation to finance one study. The condition was that the unsolved case should be in the archives of the Las Vegas police.
Researchers in Texas therefore approached the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) with a proposal that they should be provided with evidence of one such incident. Investigators decided to give the researchers the smallest sample they had – the one left by killer Stephanie Isaacson in 1989.
- Editors recommend: Vampire from Wrocław. The doctor drugged and abused patients?
Thanks to genomic sequencing, scientists were able to identify the culprit. Over the course of several months, they built a genetic profile from the DNA debris. Then they compared it with genealogical databases. This is how they found the killer’s cousin, and then also the man responsible for the crime. It turned out to be Darren R. Marchand, who had already been charged with another murder in the past. In 1986, a man was said to strangle 24-year-old Nanette Vanderberg. However, he was not convicted due to insufficient evidence.
Although it was possible to identify the murderer of Stephanie Isaacson, also this time the man did not stand trial for his crime. In 1995, Marchand committed suicide. He was then 29 years old.
Also read:
- All the sins of Oscar Pistorius. Was he really an outstanding athlete?
- A grim history of the Games. They died in the Olympics
- Boy in a plastic bubble. He spent his whole life in it
- We lynched Madzia’s mother and “we like” serial killers. Why is this happening?
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.