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On Tuesday, September 6, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) identified Henry Fredrick Wise as a person of interest in the murder of Stacey Chahorski. Investigators tracked Wise down using genealogy DNA testing.
In what can be described as a breakthrough straight out of CSI, genealogy was used to track down Stacey Chahorski's killer decades after she was found dead.
In March 2022, genealogy technology was used to identify Chahorski's remains 33 years after she was reported missing in January 1988. A few months later, the same technology was used to identify her killer too.
Stacey Chahorski's case explored
According to reports, Stacey, a Michigan woman residing in North Carolina at the time of her death, told her mother that she would be hitching rides to her home town. However, that was the last time that the 19-year-old established contact with a family member.
Stacey Chahorski's body was discovered in December 1988, strangled to death in Dade County, Georgia.
For years, the identity of the victim eluded the authorities and she was known as the Rising Fawn Jane Doe. Her remains remained unidentified for over three decades until the GBI, with assistance from the FBI, positively identified the remains as those of Chahorski.
Investigators made a breakthrough in the decade-long cold case by uncovering evidence and collaborating with the FBI to create a DNA profile of the victim in 2000s.
According to GBI, after years of painstakingly gathering evidence, investigators used a new type of genealogy testing that had previously helped solve other cold cases. They were finally able to identify the victim's remains with this test.
Chahorski’s remains will go back to her family.
Following this, authorities used the suspect's DNA that was found at the scene to conduct DNA genealogy testing with the intent to catch the killer. This allowed them to interview Wise's family and procure their DNA swabs.
Some time later, Henry Fredrick Wise was confirmed as the killer with Othram Lab's assistance. In a press conference, FBI Special Agent Keri Farley said that the DNA analysis combined with the officers' efforts proved to be the key to solving the crime. Farley, who is in-charge of the Atlanta Field Office, also added:
“Technology alone did not solve this case. The determination of agents in both the FBI and GBI, along with every officer who worked this case for 33 plus years, helped bring this case to its conclusion."
Who was Henry Fredrick Wise, the killer of Stacey Chahorski?
According to investigators, Wise was 34 when he killed Chahorski. He was a truck driver for the Western Carolina trucking company and at the time of the incident, he was en route from Chattanooga to Birmingham to Nashville.
He also had a criminal record in multiple states, including North Carolina. As per reports, he was arrested on theft, assault and obstruction charges. In 1999, Wise, who also worked as a stunt driver, died after suffering burns in a car accident.
