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Goodhue County investigator details use of genetic genealogy to solve 1999 Red Wing infant deaths
Summary
Chief Deputy John Haneke described how Goodhue County and partners used genetic genealogy, traditional investigation and a DNA warrant to identify and arrest Jennifer Matter in connection with newborn deaths in 1999 and 2003; Matter was arrested May 9, 2022, and later sentenced to 27 years in prison in April 2023.
Chief Deputy John Haneke of the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office described Tuesday how investigators paired traditional detective work with genetic genealogy to solve a long-running cold case involving newborns found in the Mississippi River near Red Wing.
Haneke said the office, with help from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a private lab, used genealogical DNA matches and conventional investigative steps to identify and arrest Jennifer Matter in May 2022 in connection with infants recovered in 1999 and 2003. Matter was later sentenced in April 2023 to 27 years in prison, Haneke said.
The presentation focused on why homicide investigations demand intensive, painstaking work — and why cold cases sometimes require new technology and community support. “We still don't have that [TV] technology,” Haneke said, adding that investigators rely on “laptops, pen and paper” and partner agencies for labor and lab work.
Haneke described the sequence in…
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