Michigan man identified as killer in 1983 Sheri Jo Elliott cold case
Fox News • • nation
Key Points:
- Michigan authorities have identified Roni Collins, a 75-year-old from Grand Blanc, as the killer of 16-year-old Sheri Jo Elliott, solving a cold case from 1983 using advanced DNA technology.
- Elliott disappeared on November 16, 1983, and her body was found four days later; she had been sexually assaulted and shot multiple times.
- The Michigan State Police reopened the case in 2023 with help from Western Michigan University students who digitized and reorganized decades of evidence, leading to a DNA match with Collins.
- Collins died by suicide in January 2024 before investigators could obtain a voluntary DNA sample, but DNA from his autopsy conclusively linked him to the crime.
- Experts note that forensic genetic genealogy has revolutionized cold case investigations by enabling analysis from minimal DNA samples, increasing the likelihood of solving old crimes and potentially deterring future offenders.
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