Killer Finally Identified in 1988 Strangulation Case Using Genealogical DNA
Almost 35 years after a brutal murder took place in Georgia, investigators have found a major breakthrough.
Earlier this year in March, Stacey Lyn Chahorski was identified as the woman known as Rising Dawn Jane Doe. Buried in an unmarked grave, Chahorski was the victim of a strangulation murder and was not able to be identified in 1988.
After the Georgia Bureau of Investigation decided to take a fresh look at the case, using new technology involving genealogical DNA, they were able to ID Chahorski as the victim. And on Sept. 6, 2022, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation held a joint press conference with the FBI to announce that they had finally identified the killer as well.
Using the same technique that was used to ID Chahorski, investigators found that a man named Henry Fredrick Wise, aka Hoss Wise, was the person who murdered Chahorski. At the time, he was working as a truck driver. The murderer cannot be arrested and charged, however, due to the fact that he died in a car crash in 1999.
“We realize solving this horrific crime does not ease the pain for Stacey’s family, nothing can, but hopefully it will answer some questions,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge, Keri Farley.
Investigators were able to ID Wise as the killer thanks to genealogical DNA—meaning, they used current living family members’ DNA to trace back to his. According to officials, a living family member of Wise cooperated with the ongoing investigation, which allowed the team to tag Wise’s DNA.
A similar process was used to identify Chahorski as well. Although the FBI put together sketches and clay renditions of Rising Fawn Jane Doe, it was ultimately genealogical DNA technology that allowed them to identify the victim.
Using sites like Ancestry.com that intake DNA samples, the investigators were able to find a match in DNA located out of North Shores, Michigan. There, they learned Stacey Lyn Chahorski had been reported missing in 1989. She had been traveling through North Carolina to return home to Michigan.
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