Murder of Three Rivers Teen Solved by DNA Tech on ABC's 20/20

A 19-year-old West Michigan woman's brutal murder was finally solved 35 years later thanks to the help of genetic genealogy.

ABC's 20/20 will share the story on a new episode.

👇BELOW: WATCH TRAILER FOR "CODE BREAKERS" ON ABC'S 20/20👇

Cathy Swartz of Three Rivers, Mich., Murder Case

In December 1988, 19-year-old Cathy Swartz was killed in her Three Rivers apartment at Riverside Townhouses. Her nine-month-old daughter had been sleeping in her crib in a room nearby and was left unharmed.

Three Rivers Police Department via Facebook

Swartz' body was found by her fiancé when he arrived home from work. According to Three Rivers Commercial News, Swartz had been viciously stabbed, beaten, and strangled. Police believe she fought her attacker, but eventually died from her wounds.

Officers at the scene gathered evidence including fingerprints, a footprint, and blood, all thought to belong to the killer. A crime scene tech who had been at the scene told Wood TV 8 about the grisly scene:

It was probably bloodier than most scenes, other than, I mean where the blood was found. I mean it was smeared up the railing and against the wall going upstairs.

Authorities search for a match for the blood evidence, unsuccessfully, for decades. Wilcox Newspapers reports,

Even after the introduction of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in the 2000s, a match still had yet to be made.

In 2022, Three Rivers Police partnered with Michigan State Police to use forensic genealogy. Forensic genealogy uses DNA databases to identify relatives of suspects or victims. Perhaps one of the first, biggest cases to utilize forensic genealogy is that of the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo.

In the murder of Cathy Swartz, genetic genealogy helped authorities hone in on a particular family. Family members were interviewed, their fingerprints taken and DNA tested, eventually leading to the man responsible for killing Swartz: 53-year-old Robert Waters of Beaufort, South Carolina.

Waters was arrested in April of 2023 and charged with murder. May 6 of 2023, Three Rivers Police shared that Waters was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide.

Three Rivers Teen's 1988 Murder Featured on ABC's 20/20

A new episode of ABC's 20/20, "Code Breakers", will delve into how genetic genealogy played a key role in solving Cathy Swartz' murder.

The special, hosted by ABC News anchor David Muir, will also focus on the 1995 murder of Texas woman, Mary Catherine Edwards. Like Swartz's death, the murder of Mary Edwards went unsolved for decades until the use of genetic genealogy.

It will feature interviews with Swartz's daughter, law enforcement, and prosecutors

👇BELOW: Binge-Worthy Shows That Focus on Michigan Murderers👇

The episode premieres Friday, March 7, at 9p.m. ET. It will also be available to stream on Hulu starting Saturday, March 8.

Dangerous Documentaries: Check Out These Binge-Worthy Shows That Focus on Michigan Murderers

Looking for something to binge? We've assembled a list of 15 documentaries that focus on some of Michigan's worst human beings - Murderers.

Even Michigan's beautiful north is safe from crime, as two of the cases spotlight cases from the Upper Peninsula.

Three women, including one from Flint make the list, along with two former police officers.

Some of the videos below are also available on Peacock and Hulu.

Gallery Credit: George McIntyre

Source: New on ABC’s 20/20: DNA Tech Solves West Michigan Teen’s 1988 Murder

Filed Under: TV, murder, 2020, homicide, Three Rivers, true crime, DNA

Categories: West Michigan News