Diva


The Forever Witness

A young couple from Vancouver vanished in rural Washington, in November 1987. Many years later the case was solved using a new technology-genetic genealogy. DNA evidence collected before it could be analyzed and compared in sufficient detail was processed and used to crack the cold case. The DNA collected and submitted by hobbyists and others seeking family information was a tool to clear crime backlogs.

The story of how this was done makes interesting reading.

A fascinating look at genealogy in solving crime. The ethics vs justice is apparent in this exciting subject. True crime readers should definitely read this. Loved it.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

For fans of true crime, this book incorporates the newer technique of genetic genealogy. But the main crime, murder of a young couple on a road trip, doing a small favor for one of their fathers, is not the only crime discussed. There were several moments I had to remind myself that the author was not the detective, he was that good at placing me within the investigation.

The Forever Witness chronicles the rise of genealogy DNA testing s ruse as a new tool to solve crimes and his it helped to bring closer to multiple cold cases and real time cases by creating a family tree thru DNA analysis and linking those results with those in family history databases. It was fascinating and exciting to see what can be accomplished from this data. I applaud the diligence of the cold case officer who so diligently sought answers and justice for the victims and their families as well as his desire to see the guilty punished. For anyone interested in true crime and in the scientific results of criminal investigations related to DNA evidence. This book is a must read and was filled with interesting facts and information and as well as a fascinating look into the determination and dogged pursuit of truth for the victims long forgotten by regular detectives as the years pass by and the answers lie hidden. I am so impressed with determination of officers willing to make it their life’s work to reveal the truth. Excellent book!

This book chronicles the horrible murder of a young Canadian couple in the 1980s, whose case sadly turned cold due to a lack of evidence. Fast forward 30 years. New technological advancements using DNA and genealogical websites have emerged and the case is finally solved. I found this topic fascinating and appreciated the ethical arguments on both sides regarding police using online genealogy sites to solve crimes. Very thought-provoking.

The Forever Witness is a true crime book by Edward Humes that tells the story of the 1987 murders of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook. The book chronicles the investigation into the murders, which went cold for decades, and the eventual use of genetic genealogy to identify and arrest the killer. The book is well-written and engaging. Humes does a good job of weaving together the different strands of the story. He also provides some interesting insights into the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the book:

Pros:

Well-written and engaging
Provides a detailed account of the crime scene and the evidence
Interviews the detectives who worked on the case, as well as the families of the victims
Provides some interesting insights into the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations

Cons:

A bit long and drawn-out
Does not provide any new information about the case

Overall, The Forever Witness is a well-written and engaging true crime book. It is a good read for anyone who is interested in the case of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook, or in the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations. However, the book is a bit long and drawn-out, and it does not provide any new information about the case.

What started as a quick overnight trip down into the states from Canada ended in tragedy. Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were two young adults running an errand for Jay's father. The trip cost them their lives. Their murders went unsolved for over 30 year. In 2018 an suspect was arrest, thanks to genetic genealogy research. In 2021, that suspect because the first person to be convicted based on DNA evidence that was run through genealogy databases.
Fans of true crime with recognize the name CeCe Moore and Parabon Nanolabs from their work on the Golden State Killer case. But before there was Joseph James DeAngelo, there was William Earl Talbott II.
This was a meticulously researched and well told story that not only treated the victims with care, but also deftly navigated the controversial aspects of genetic genealogy and privacy rights. A must read for true crime fans.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Such an intriguing read! I'd never heard of Tanya and Jay's case, and it shocked me that it lay cold for so many years. That DNA evidence was preserved for so many years, and it could be matched to a suspect, blew my mind. I know what I want to do when I grow up.

I loved the discussion on the ethical questions and ramifications of using DNA and genealogy databases to identify criminals - as with everything, it is much more complex an issue that we realize.

Fascinating story and true crime details sprinkled through this retelling. Thanks to the publisher and all the best to the author and families of the victims.

I am such a fan of true crime (not an amateur expert in it, but I enjoy it a lot!) and Humes’s The Forever Witness delivered in all the best ways. This book details the context and circumstances of a cold blooded double murder of a young man and woman in Washington state, near Seattle. They disappeared while on an overnight roadtrip, running an errand. Their murder was a cold case for decades until new technologies became more available.

What makes The Forever Witness so compelling though isn’t just the fact that Humes gives us an account of how such DNA identifying technologies worked or even how the case was eventually solved (though those are good enough reasons to pick it up!), no, what makes this book unputdownable is Humes deeper delving into the larger national and world wide considerations and context of using DNA, genealogical, and qualitative research together in combination to investigate such crimes. Humes provides the reader with a landscape of criminal methodologies, giving them a glimpse into a world often over-dramatized and glossed over with unspecific details in news media and hour-long television serials. As if often the case, when compared with film, the book is better. The Forever Witness is full of nuanced context and specific information, perfect for the true crime fanatic for whom details are everything.

Readers should be aware that this wide fish-eye lens of the book and its subject matter does mean that Humes veers on occasion away from the specific case. He draws upon similar cases, discusses parallel crimes and explores the use of genealogy in other, related cases. Humes also provides the reader with a view from the other side; included here are not only the investigators, the family of the victims, but also the perspectives of genealogists and other criminologists not directly involved in these cases. The varied perspectives adds to the book’s appeal, giving the reader a deep understanding of the crime-solving process, with all its obstacles and victories.

Humes’ prose is also deeply compelling: dramatic and yet not overblown, succinct and yet brimming with knowledge, informative without overbearing being pedantic, flowing and smooth throughout. It is clear Humes has a vast and thorough grasp of his subject matter, but he does an exceptional job at breaking this down for the average reader. Terminology is explained, procedures and protocols are laid out step by step and their logics revealed.

In short, a fantastic read and one for every fan of true crime.

Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered in Seattle in the 1980s and their case went cold for several decades. They had DNA evidence but nobody to compare it to until the advancement of genetic genealogy. Not only do I love true crime, but I also love STEM and this was such a good combination of the two. It was so fascinating to walk through the advances in crime scene technology as it applied to their case.

If you like true crime stories, you should definitely give this book a chance.

The way the case study is approached is abolishingly judicious and detailed, done with all the thoroughness necessary to be enlightening and a wonderful read.

The narration gives it extra points on a literary level, being quite well written, captivating and shocking.

The Forever Witness by Edward Humes

A relentless detective and a civilian genealogist solve a haunting cold case—and launch a crime-fighting revolution that tests the fragile line between justice and privacy.

Genetic genealogy, long the province of family tree hobbyists and adoptees seeking their birth families, has made headlines as a cold case solution machine, capable of exposing the darkest secrets of seemingly upstanding citizens. In the hands of a tenacious detective like Scharf, genetic genealogy has solved one baffling killing after another. But as this crime-fighting technique spreads, its sheer power has sparked a national debate: Can we use DNA to catch the murderers among us, yet still protect our last shred of privacy in the digital age—the right to the very blueprint of who we are?

The Forever Witness is an engrossing text that traces the development of using DNA and genetic genealogy in crime solving, both current and cold cases. Interwoven with true stories of solved crimes, the author explores the controversies of using DNA without people's consent.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a very accessible way to understand the path of genetic genealogy from its origins through present day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for a free copy of The Forever Witness. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #NetGalley

SO GOOD! I love true crime and this was up there with some of the best i've read. I had never heard of this specific case, but it was fascinating how genealogy was used to find the suspect. Well written, was respectful to victims/families, and not too science-heavy or confusing.

After 30 years, Detective Jim Scharf arrested a teenage couple's murderer—and exposed a looming battle between the pursuit of justice and the right to privacy.

When Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered during a trip to Seattle in the 1980s, detectives had few leads. The murder weapon was missing. No one witnessed any suspicious activity. And there was only a single handprint on the outside of the young couple’s van. The detectives assumed Tanya and Jay were victims of a serial killer—but without any leads, the case seemed forever doomed.

In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime scenes sat waiting. Meanwhile, California resident CeCe Moore began her lifetime fascination with genetic genealogy. As DNA testing companies rapidly grew in popularity, she discovered another use for the technology: solving crimes. When Detective Jim Scharf decided to send the cold case’s decades-old DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he hoped he would bring closure to the Van Cuylenborg and Cook families. He didn't know that he and Moore would make history.

Anyone can submit a saliva sample to learn about their ancestry. But what happens after the results of these tests are uploaded to the internet? As lawyers, policymakers, and police officers fight over questions of consent and privacy, the implications of Scharf’s case become ever clearer. Approximately 250,000 murders in the United States remain unsolved today. We have the tools to catch many of these killers—but what is the cost?

[4.25 stars]

Genetic genealogy is the new hot topic in solving crimes (especially cold cases). If you were interested in how it was used to solve the Golden State Killer case, this book is for you! The 1980's murders of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook in the Seattle area were solved right after the GSK case in the same way. Detective Jim Sharf teamed up with genetic genealogist CeCe Moore to solve the 30 year old cold case and Humes shares the broader story of how genetic genealogy (using a crime scene’s DNA sample to trace a family tree backwards using online commercial DNA databases) came to be used to solve crimes. This feels different than your average true crime book…there’s more to it. The first part reads like true crime, the second part focuses on the science behind genetic genealogy, and the third part reads like a courtroom drama. Also fascinating were the ethical issues with using genetic genealogy to solve crimes.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

I found this to be a very interesting book of the growth and development of DNA testing. The 3 stages of DNA were insightful and interesting. The controversy of how DNA can be used and who can access the profiles on public sites was eye opening. The issues that have come up with people use the public access DNA testing amazing. Some of it has shattered lives but yet these company's bulk at law enforcement being able to access them. Anyone interested in the science or use of DNA should really read this book centered around Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook's murders and how the advancements of DNA help find their killer. There have been numerous cases where DNA has helped catch a murderer and it has also helped to identify Jane and John Does. The evolution of DNA testing and where it can still go is thought provoking. This was an excellent book.

I enjoyed reading this interesting book. I found this book to be well developed and will make you realize just how many cases go unsolved and the cost that goes with it. I enjoyed how engaging this story was. The author brought the book to life using details to make you feel as if you were right there. This is a fast paced, hard to put down book. A book that you don't want to miss. I highly recommend this book.

True crime stories - especially those that deal with cold cases - have long held an irresistible pull for me, not for the morbid spectacle of death but rather for the idea that in some way justice could still be served long after the crime itself. This book gave a fascinating glimpse into the work of people who are involved in solving these crimes and bringing answers long after.