A Coffee Cup Solves a 1972 Murder Case

Jody Loomis: A life taken too soon 

In 1972, on the 23rd of October, young 20 year old Jody Loomis, an inspiring artist with a soft spot for horses, was murdered. For 45 years, despite the extensive effort, this case had not yet been solved by officials due to the lack of leads and necessary information needed to reveal who had murdered Jody. However, due to the development and advancement in the forensic sciences, it was possible for investigators to figure out who was the killer. 

On that day, Jody left her home in Mill Creek, to visit her horses at a stable nearby. It was a route that she had been familiar with, as it was not her first time. However, this time she didn’t make it to her final destination. 

The Horrific Discovery 

Later on that day, in the afternoon, a couple had been driving through a secluded dirt road where they made the horrifying discovery. They found her severely injured and partially clothed, her bicycle was discarded close by. It was evident that she had been sexually assaulted and then shot in the head with a gun. In shock they transported her body to Stevens Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. 

A Grieving Community 

Jody was precious to her family members and friends. Upon hearing her death it had grieved their hearts deeply. This sudden loss left a void that could never be filled again. Over the many years white investigating, her case became a grim reminder that a killer was walking free while her loved ones were left with unanswered questions. 

DNA Preserved for Decades 

However, evidence from Jody’s crime scene was carefully preserved. Among those items that had been saved, was crucial evidence that was later on used to find who committed her murder. Even though at that time they did not have advanced forensic technology such as DNA profiling to solve the case, the decision to keep her boot’s that had semen samples left by her attacker was wise. 

A couple of decades later, in the early 2000s, advances in DNA technology had permitted officers to revisit Jod’s case. The semen sample that had been preserved on her boots was tested, this helped produce a DNA profile of the suspect. This increased the chances of finding Jody’s killer, a new lead. However, no matches were found when this profile was entered into the national CODIS database. Over again Jody’s case went cold. 

The Genetic Genealogy Breakthrough 

By 2018, a revolutionary forensic tool known as genetic genealogy was beginning to transform cold case investigations. This method involves comparing the DNA found at the crime scene to profiles submitted to the public ancestry databases. The detectives in Snohomish County decided to try this high tech technology to Jody’s case. 

The semen sample was inserted into a public database and genetic genealogists used this to make a family tree for the unknown suspect. Through careful analysis, they identified a family with a couple of men who could possibly be the perpetrator. Out of those male suspects they had spotted a male suspect that stood out, named Terrence Miller, a 77-year-old man living in Edmonds, Washington. 

The Coffee Cup That Solved The Case 

The investigators needed confirmation of their prime suspect, so they needed a direct DNA sample from Terrence. On August 18th, undercover officers observed him at a local casino. After Miller threw away his coffee cup, they quickly took it and sent it for lab testing. The coffee cup confirmed their findings: the DNA samples matched! 

After 47 years of investigations, in April 2019, this cold case was finally about to close with a first degree murder locked away behind bars. A shocking turn of events happened where Jody’s murderer took away his life, just a couple of hours before the jury was set to deliver a verdict on the trial.