KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — A Texas-based forensic lab is helping crack cold cases across East Tennessee using advanced DNA technology not available anywhere else.
Othram, headquartered in Houston, has helped solve 18 cold cases in the region so far, working alongside the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as part of the state’s Unidentified Human Remains Initiative.
The lab uses a process called forensic genetic genealogy, combining “identity inference” and genome sequencing to match DNA to ancestral databases and build family trees. Investigators say the technology has transformed their ability to identify unknown victims and suspects.
Officials with the Knox County Regional Forensic Center say the approach has been a game changer since it was introduced about five years ago.
Each case costs around $13,000 to analyze, and about a dozen East Tennessee cases are currently being worked in Othram’s lab.
One of those includes the so-called “Lady in the Lake,” an unidentified woman found in Melton Hill Lake roughly 20 years ago. Investigators say identifying her could be key to moving the case forward.
Founded less than a decade ago, Othram has grown rapidly and now processes new cold cases every 15 minutes nationwide. Company leaders say advances in DNA technology are helping make cold cases a thing of the past.
State agencies across the country are now helping fund the work, giving law enforcement new tools to bring answers—and closure—to families.
