Calaveras County cold-case task force raised about $250,000 to fund forensic genealogy work
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Summary
Lieutenant Greg Stark said a recent cold-case month and fundraising dinner generated roughly $250,000 to support a task force that has submitted about 350 pieces of evidence for DNA and genealogy testing, yielding new leads on historic cases in Willseyville and elsewhere in Calaveras County.
Lieutenant Greg Stark of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said the office’s cold-case task force has grown in capability after a recent fundraising dinner that raised about $250,000 to support investigations.
"We just had our cold case month," Stark said, adding that the task force — a mix of sworn deputies and non‑sworn forensic experts — has submitted roughly 350 items of evidence for DNA and other testing and has generated new leads and identifications on some historic Willseyville cases. The office also spent funds on forensic genealogy, which Stark described as a process that interprets incomplete DNA to narrow down likely profiles.
The task force uses both public and private crime labs and invites outside partners when needed, Stark said, describing the work as collaborative: "Everybody's invited to the table." He referenced the Golden State Killer investigation as an early example of forensic genealogy leading to results and said federal and out‑of‑state contacts have assisted on specific items.
Stark credited the recent fundraising and an active volunteer support group for enabling testing and genealogy work that would be difficult on limited departmental budgets. He said the fundraising also paid for lab submissions and genealogy research that have produced promising leads for families seeking closure.
The office did not provide a formal list of cases or names tied to the new leads during the interview. Stark said the task force is continuing work on cases going back to the early or mid‑1980s and will keep collaborating with state and federal partners to process evidence and pursue leads.
Next steps, Stark said, are continued evidence analysis, follow‑up with labs and genealogy providers, and sustained multiagency cooperation to turn leads into investigative results.
