
Cigarette butt used to identify suspect in 26-year Washington cold case
Fox News
Washington state authorities have identified a suspect in a 26-year cold case, thanks to DNA on a cigarette butt.
"The linchpin for the evidence was a cigarette butt that was found at the body dump location," KCSO Lead Detective Mike Grant said during a Wednesday press conference, according to FOX 13 Seattle. "The evidence on the body could mean one of two-three different things, but when you have a cigarette butt with the DNA and the DNA on her body and on items around her body, it was conclusive to me that we had the right guy."
On Aug. 25, 1995, authorities responded to reports of an unclothed and partially covered body discovered along Peacock Hill Road and later identified the body as that of Barnes, who was 61 at the time of her death. Detectives also determined that she had been shot twice in the head.