Natalie Morales

Mary and Jenna, thanks so much for joining me today to break down the case and all the work that went into putting this together. Thanks for having us. Yeah. Now, remember, for you who are listening, if you haven't listened to this 48 Hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. Just go take a listen, then come right back here for our conversation.

Mary and Jenna, thanks so much for joining me today to break down the case and all the work that went into putting this together. Thanks for having us. Yeah. Now, remember, for you who are listening, if you haven't listened to this 48 Hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. Just go take a listen, then come right back here for our conversation.

Mary and Jenna, we can all agree that this is probably one of the most remarkable cold cases I think that we have worked on, right?

Mary and Jenna, we can all agree that this is probably one of the most remarkable cold cases I think that we have worked on, right?

Mary and Jenna, we can all agree that this is probably one of the most remarkable cold cases I think that we have worked on, right?

I'll tell you, I loved interviewing a Texas Ranger. I mean, he walked in with his faux croc-embossed cowboy boots with the Texas Ranger seal on it. He had the ring. He had the hat. I mean, it was the full effect and the great storytelling. I mean, Ranger Bess is... is incredible.

I'll tell you, I loved interviewing a Texas Ranger. I mean, he walked in with his faux croc-embossed cowboy boots with the Texas Ranger seal on it. He had the ring. He had the hat. I mean, it was the full effect and the great storytelling. I mean, Ranger Bess is... is incredible.

I'll tell you, I loved interviewing a Texas Ranger. I mean, he walked in with his faux croc-embossed cowboy boots with the Texas Ranger seal on it. He had the ring. He had the hat. I mean, it was the full effect and the great storytelling. I mean, Ranger Bess is... is incredible.

Yeah, he really could. I mean, he's the real deal. And he's so committed. I mean, he realized when there was a major breakthrough with the Golden State Killer case that there was a possibility of using genetic genealogy, perhaps, to solve some of these cases. And this one immediately came to mind. Now, just to remind those who are listening, it all started back in 1995 in Beaumont, Texas.

Yeah, he really could. I mean, he's the real deal. And he's so committed. I mean, he realized when there was a major breakthrough with the Golden State Killer case that there was a possibility of using genetic genealogy, perhaps, to solve some of these cases. And this one immediately came to mind. Now, just to remind those who are listening, it all started back in 1995 in Beaumont, Texas.

Yeah, he really could. I mean, he's the real deal. And he's so committed. I mean, he realized when there was a major breakthrough with the Golden State Killer case that there was a possibility of using genetic genealogy, perhaps, to solve some of these cases. And this one immediately came to mind. Now, just to remind those who are listening, it all started back in 1995 in Beaumont, Texas.

31-year-old schoolteacher Mary Catherine Edwards was found murdered, sexually assaulted, and handcuffed in her own bathroom. Notably, though, the handcuffs that were used on her were police grade, which Detective Llewellyn said it was sort of like a whispered ghost story in the hallways at police headquarters. He described it to us like people were trying to figure out who could it have been.

31-year-old schoolteacher Mary Catherine Edwards was found murdered, sexually assaulted, and handcuffed in her own bathroom. Notably, though, the handcuffs that were used on her were police grade, which Detective Llewellyn said it was sort of like a whispered ghost story in the hallways at police headquarters. He described it to us like people were trying to figure out who could it have been.

31-year-old schoolteacher Mary Catherine Edwards was found murdered, sexually assaulted, and handcuffed in her own bathroom. Notably, though, the handcuffs that were used on her were police grade, which Detective Llewellyn said it was sort of like a whispered ghost story in the hallways at police headquarters. He described it to us like people were trying to figure out who could it have been.

Did this person have a connection to the police, but, you know, police were never really able to identify the perpetrator at the time, although they did have DNA samples from the crime scene, and those samples were so carefully preserved, which was so key. However, the forensic science was not advanced enough yet.

Did this person have a connection to the police, but, you know, police were never really able to identify the perpetrator at the time, although they did have DNA samples from the crime scene, and those samples were so carefully preserved, which was so key. However, the forensic science was not advanced enough yet.

Did this person have a connection to the police, but, you know, police were never really able to identify the perpetrator at the time, although they did have DNA samples from the crime scene, and those samples were so carefully preserved, which was so key. However, the forensic science was not advanced enough yet.

So let's talk about genetic genealogy and how it's become a game changer in cases like this, and specifically how it factored into this investigation.

So let's talk about genetic genealogy and how it's become a game changer in cases like this, and specifically how it factored into this investigation.

So let's talk about genetic genealogy and how it's become a game changer in cases like this, and specifically how it factored into this investigation.