In 1978, Thompson was on her way to meet her boyfriend but she never arrived at her destination. Her body was later found along the Little Miami River (pictured), near Cincinnati. Thompson’s cause of death was blunt force trauma and strangulation. She had also been sexually assaulted.
At that time, a rape kit was collected from Thompson’s body, but because of the limited forensic DNA technology during that time period, the investigation stalled. What didn’t stall, however, was scientific advancement, and in 2022, that DNA sample gathered from Thompson was sent to a third-party genealogical company. Based on those results, prosecutors and Thompson’s family now have some answers.
Read Related Also: Missing California Mom Found Dead; Ex-Husband Arrested
As The New York Times also points out, the approach that led authorities to Howell in the Thompson case also helped find the Golden State Killer — and Howell was identified based on his family tree. To reach these conclusions, DNA samples were gathered from Howell’s surviving relatives, who volunteered to participate in the investigation. To know for sure that Howell was indeed responsible for Thompson’s death, and possibly other unsolved murders, DNA samples were then gathered from Howell’s exhumed body.
