For thirty years, someone terrorized Buffalo, New York. At least nine women attacked. Three murdered. The community lived in fear.

Then in 1994, after his most violent assault yet, the attacks suddenly stopped.

For twelve years: nothing. No reports. No victims. Complete silence.

Investigators wondered: Was he dead? In prison for something else? Had he moved away?

In September 2006, he came back. And this time, he made a mistake.

When a 45-year-old nurse went for her morning jog and never came home, he left behind a single droplet of evidence that would finally answer a question the community had been asking since 1990: Who killed Linda Yalem?

Linda was 22 years old, training for the New York City Marathon, when she was murdered on a bike path near the University at Buffalo. Her case went cold for sixteen years. But by 2007, DNA technology had evolved enough to do what was impossible in 1990. And when investigators connected that sweat droplet to Linda's murder, they uncovered something that stunned the community.

The killer had been hiding in plain sight the whole time.

He coached Little League. He went to church. Neighbors called him "Uncle Al." He'd lived in the same place for thirty years just miles from where he left Linda's body. He even registered to run in the memorial race held in her honor.

But here's the detail that haunts investigators most: In 1981, a rape victim followed her attacker to a parking lot and wrote down his license plate number. Police traced the car. Questioned the owner. And stopped investigating when he denied driving it that day.

He lied.

If they had pressed harder, three women would still be alive.

This episode also tells the story of Anthony Capozzi,a man who spent 22 years in prison for crimes he didn't commit, while the real killer remained free. How DNA finally proved his innocence. And why his case resulted in the largest wrongful conviction settlement in New York State history.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses sexual assault, murder, and wrongful conviction.

For complete sources and timeline: https://crimedecoded.com/episode-notes-6-2/

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence:

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

In 1987, bartender Sandra Lison was murdered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. DNA evidence excluded two brothers from the crime, but they were convicted anyway and spent 25 years in prison. Meanwhile, the real killer died free.

In 2024, a team of college students used investigative genetic genealogy to finally identify Sandra's killer: William Hendricks, a convicted rapist who had never been investigated. This is the story of how science aided police in freeing two innocent men and gave Sandra Lison the justice she waited 37 years to receive.

Robert and David Bintz are the third and fourth people in the United States to be exonerated through forensic genetic genealogy, the same technology that catches killers can also free the innocent.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses murder, sexual assault, and wrongful conviction.

For full sources and references, visit https://crimedecoded.com/episode-notes-5/

Subscribe to Crime Decoded for more stories about forensic science, genetic genealogy, and the cases they help solve.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode discusses the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a child, as well as threats made toward minors. Listener discretion is advised.

THE CASE:

On April 1, 1988, Good Friday, eight-year-old April Tinsley walked a few blocks to pick up an umbrella from a friend's house in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

She never came back.

Three days later, her body was found in a ditch twenty miles away. DNA evidence was recovered, but the technology didn't exist to interpret it.

For thirty years, April's killer lived five miles from where he dumped her body—in the same trailer where he'd taken her.

Then he made a mistake.

He started leaving notes on little girls' bicycles., taunting residents and police. The notes contained used condoms. The DNA matched 1988. And in 2018, a genealogy database finally gave him a name.

FEATURING:

• The chilling barn message that taunted police for decades

• How a 7-year-old girl's bicycle held the key to solving the case

• The FBI profile that predicted exactly who he was

• A confession that came before detectives asked a single question

THE TWIST:

Detectives asked John Miller if he knew why they wanted to talk.

He didn't hesitate: "April Tinsley."

They hadn't mentioned her name.

CREDITS:

Research sources include Allen County Court records, WANE 15, Crime Watch Daily, and FBI case files.

Special thanks to Parabon NanoLabs and CeCe Moore for their forensic genetic genealogy work.

For complete sources and references, visit: ⁠https://crimedecoded.com/episode-notes-4/

RESOURCES:

If you've been affected by violence or abuse:

• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD

• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: missingkids.org

ABOUT CRIME DECODED:

Crime Decoded explores forensic science, genetic genealogy, and the cases they help solve. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Contact: stacey@crimedecoded.com

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