
The Genetic Puzzle - Solving the Roxanne Wood Cold Case
Published: July 19, 2026
Duration: 42:33
The episode details the investigation into the 1987 murder of Roxanne Wood, who was found dead in her Michigan home by her husband, Terry Wood. Although Terry was the initial primary suspect, the case went cold for decades due to a lack of evidence and the limitations of 1980s forensic technology. The mystery was eventually solved through innovative genetic genealogy, which allowed investigators to reconstruct a profile from a highly degraded DNA sample. This breakthrough identified Patrick Gilham as the true killer, a discovery confirmed after police surreptitiously collected his DNA from a discarded cigarette butt. The narrative concludes with Gilham's...