Nov 1980 – Lynn Vest (23) is strangled and her 2½‑year‑old cousin Jeremy Pickens is suffocated inside a car in Columbus, Ohio; investigators recover a Mustang Cobra and preserve two hair samples for future analysis [4].

May 23–24, 1982 – Thirteen‑year‑old Sarah Geer disappears in Cloverdale, California and is found murdered the next morning, dragged to an alley, raped and strangled, a case that remains unsolved for 44 years [1].

Apr 1, 1987 – Rhonda Fisher’s body is discovered near Sedalia, Colorado after she is sexually assaulted and strangled; detectives place brown paper bags over her hands, preserving evidence that will later yield DNA [3].

1996 – Serial killer Vincent Darrell Groves dies in prison, ending his known killing spree that spanned 1978‑1988 in Colorado [3].

2003 – FBI analysts generate a DNA profile from Sarah Geer’s clothing, but the profile yields no matches in CODIS, leaving the case at a dead end [1].

2017 – Douglas County detectives test DNA from the 1987 paper bags in the Fisher case, but the analysis fails to produce a usable profile, keeping the murder cold [3].

2021 – Cloverdale Police reopen the Geer murder, partner with a private forensic firm and the FBI, and begin using familial‑genealogy databases to narrow suspects to the four Unick brothers [1].

Jul 2024 – FBI surveillance covertly collects a discarded cigarette from 64‑year‑old James Unick in Willows, California; DNA from the butt later matches the 2003 Geer profile, leading to his arrest [1].

Dec 2025 – DNA extracted from the 1987 paper bags matches the deceased serial killer Vincent Groves, finally solving Rhonda Fisher’s murder and demonstrating the power of modern forensic tools [3].

Jan 24, 2026 – Genetic genealogist Amanda Reno links hair DNA from the 1980 Ohio murders to Charles Elliott, a deceased inmate, and announces plans to exhume his remains to confirm the match; victims’ relatives say the breakthrough “brings hope and a measure of peace.” [4].

Feb 13, 2026 – A Sonoma County jury convicts James Unick of Sarah Geer’s 1982 murder and orders life imprisonment without parole; District Attorney Carla Rodriguez declares the verdict “honors those who never gave up searching for Sarah’s killer.” [1].

Feb 2026 – Pima County Sheriff’s Department announces it will employ investigative genetic genealogy to pursue leads in the Nancy Guthrie case after CODIS fails to produce a match, citing CeCe Moore’s warning that “DNA matches can be as low as 1 %” and that broader database access will likely spark a “knock‑down, drag‑out fight.” [2].

Apr 23, 2026 – James Unick is scheduled to be sentenced to life without parole, cementing the longest‑standing cold‑case verdict in Sonoma County history [1].

2026 onward – Authorities plan to exhume Charles Elliott’s remains for confirmation and anticipate a legal battle over expanded law‑enforcement access to commercial genealogy databases, as predicted by DNA‑Justice CEO CeCe Moore [2][4].