Tuesday, November 19, 2019

GENEALOGY CATCHES KILLER

L.A. Prosecutors Use Genealogy Search To Make Arrest In 1980s Killings Of Two Women

LAPPL News Watch
November 18, 2019

Los Angeles County prosecutors have filed two counts of murder against a man linked to a pair of decades-old cold cases by connecting the suspect through a genealogy match, a first for the office, Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said Friday.

Horace Van Vaultz Jr., 64, was charged with the 1986 killing of Mary Duggan in Burbank and the 1981 slaying of Selena Keough in Montclair. He will appear in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Monday.

The victims were both strangled and sexually assaulted, according to investigators, who have been in touch with other law enforcement agencies about Vault’s possible links to other cold cases.

“Thanks to advances in technology and forensics, we are now able to virtually reach back in time and find those responsible for these vicious crimes,” Lacey said.

Vaultz was arrested Thursday after a traffic stop in Los Angeles, said Burbank Det. Aaron Kay, the lead investigator on Duggan’s killing.

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