DNA Testing Solves Teen’s Decades-Old Murder

In July 1989, 16-year old Fawn Cox was raped and strangled in her own home in Kansas City, Missouri. There were never any strong leads and police never discovered who raped and killed the teen – until recently.

Using advanced genetic genealogy techniques, similar to those used to solve the Golden State Killer case, the Kansas City Police Department was able to solve the murder case.

According to the authorities, the result of the advanced DNA testing revealed that Cox’s rapist and killer was none other than her cousin, Donald Cox Jr., who died years ago from an overdose. Though shocked, Felisa Cox expressed her family’s relief to finally put a closure on her sister’s case.

Fawn’s body was discovered by her mother and sister after hearing the teenager’s alarm go off and she did not turn it off. She had worked at Worlds of Fun and knew she had to work the next day. According to Felisa, no one in the family heard anything out of place that night because their air conditioners were running. However, she remembers that the family dog was agitated, which she brushed off as the dog was pregnant at the time.

The family says that what happened to Fawn has always haunted them, but the lack of answers made the event even more painful.

KCPD Sgt. Ben Caldwell agrees that because the suspect knew Fawn, it made sense that he would have been able to come in and leave the home undetected.

Because the price of the advanced genetic genealogy testing was too expensive for the KCPD, the FBI paid the bill.

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