Murder of Roxanne Wood
How did DNA solve a decades-old murder?
4.1 (20)
40 mins
Discover the murder of Roxanne Wood, who was found dead in Oregon in 1987. Explore how the case remained unsolved for more than three decades before advances in genetic genealogy identified a suspect, and how the breakthrough demonstrated the growing power of modern forensic technology in cold-case investigations.
Ep 1:
A Bowling Night Turns Fatal
In 1987 Niles, Michigan, Roxanne Wood said goodnight to her husband at a bowling alley—hours later, she was found brutally murdered, with no forced entry and a killer's DNA left behind.
Ep 2:
Suspicion Falls on the Husband
For decades, Terry Wood lived under a cloud of suspicion as police's prime person of interest, while mysterious crime-scene DNA that didn't match him kept the case frustratingly unsolved.
Ep 3:
Students, Science, and a Secret DNA Trail
Thirty-three years later, college students digitize a mountain of case files while a world-renowned genealogist traces degraded DNA through a family tree, narrowing suspects to three brothers.
Ep 4:
The Cigarette That Solved a Murder
A botched cigarette pickup nearly derailed everything, until a trooper's daring laundromat gambit finally captured the DNA that exposed the real killer and freed an innocent man.
Discussions (5)
Nettie
Level 10 · 2 mo agoTerry not calling police actually makes sense. His lawyer told him not to and that's just smart legal advice, not guilt.
Kristin
Level 4 · 2 mo agoA trooper bought cigarettes, talked hockey, and solved a 34 year old murder. Meanwhile I can't even get my neighbor to return my ladder.
Thierry
Level 3 · 2 mo agoTerry suspected for 35 yrs and the real killer was just doing laundry
