FFK Blog Fehmeeda Farid Khan Blog for Unsolved Miseries
Related Articles
On Tuesday, aspirations were shattered as a decades-old quadruple homicide investigation in Florida reached its conclusion. Authorities declared the absence of any connection between their case and the chilling killings depicted in the literary work “In Cold Blood.”
The individuals found guilty, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, had long been under suspicion for the brutal slaying of Cliff Walker, along with his wife Christine and their two offspring. This tragic incident occurred in December of 1959, approximately a month subsequent to Smith and Hickock’s murder of a Kansas farmer and his family.
Despite diligent efforts, investigators were unable to establish a DNA linkage between Smith, Hickock, and Christine Walker. It was noted that the DNA comparison proved elusive due to the partial profiles gleaned from the exhumed remains in December, compounded by the aged and deteriorated nature of the samples from the Walker crime scene. Regrettably, no further examinations were slated.
“The intricacy of the matter stems from the prevailing uncertainty,” remarked Bell. “While it does not preclude their involvement, it also fails to furnish us with a substantial degree of certainty to affirm a connection.”
Law enforcement still maintains the belief that the two individuals were very likely implicated in the events.
“We are not bringing the case to a close,” Bell asserted. “It endures as an unresolved homicide. The enigma persists, and we shall remain vigilant for alternative avenues. We have reached a juncture where DNA testing no longer appears to be the means to achieve that resolution.”
Dr. Michael Baird, the director of the DNA Diagnostics Center in Ohio, noted the challenges associated with testing DNA that has aged for decades. Genetic evidence, he pointed out, is susceptible to degradation over time. The quantity of retrievable DNA from the samples, its preservation, and the environmental conditions to which it was exposed, collectively influence the feasibility of constructing a comprehensive DNA profile.
Dr. Baird illustrated the situation by comparing partial DNA profiling to examining an incomplete fingerprint lacking intricate patterns.
“The potential to establish an individual match is compromised,” Dr. Baird explained. “Encountering such limitations with samples of this antiquity is not an unusual occurrence.”
Following their brutal killing of the prominent Kansas farmer Herb Clutter, his spouse, and two of their children, Smith and Hickock fled to Florida.
