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Longview police say DNA testing by private lab led to ID, arrest in 1998 infant death
Summary
Longview Police announced at the Sept. 11 council meeting that investigators used a private lab (Othram) to generate familial DNA leads in a 1998 cold case; detectives obtained a warrant, interviewed the suspect and arrested Misty Mitchell on a capital murder charge after she reportedly admitted to being the child's mother.
Longview Police announced on Sept. 11 that detectives used genetic testing from a private company to identify and arrest a suspect in a nearly three-decade-old infant death from 1998.
Mayor Conley described the investigation steps: Sergeant Eric Cunningham learned of Project 525 at Othram Labs Incorporated, applied for a scholarship slot in the program and supplied preserved evidentiary material collected by Longview detectives in 1998. On Sept. 9, 2025, the lab returned results that produced familial leads, including paternal and maternal family diagrams and an ethnicity breakdown, the mayor said.
Using the laboratory leads, detectives obtained an evidentiary search warrant and on Aug. 9 served the warrant and collected a DNA sample from the suspected person. During that contact, the suspect — identified in the presentation as Misty Mitchell — "admitted that she knew about the murder and admitted that she was indeed the mother of this child," the mayor said. Mitchell was taken into custody on a capital murder charge, according to the announcement.
The mayor credited the 1998 officers for preserving evidence and Longview detectives — including Sergeant Eric Cunningham — for pursuing new testing technologies. He also thanked Othram Labs for providing testing under a program the company describes as Project 525; the mayor said the case shows that cold cases can be reopened and that technological advances can produce new investigative leads.
The city’s announcement at council was informational; no council action was required.
