Golden State Killer Caught at 72 Using Genealogical DNA

Three Names, One Perpetrator

For decades, law enforcement in California knew him by three different names: East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, and finally Golden State Killer. Three series of crimes that spread terror throughout the state from 1974 to 1986. But it wasn't until 2001 that DNA analysis revealed the perpetrator behind all three names was the same person.

Joseph James DeAngelo began his crime spree in the Sacramento area as the East Area Rapist in 1974. As a police officer in Auburn, he had intimate knowledge of investigative methods and used it to his advantage. He broke into homes in the middle of the night, masked and armed, and raped women while their husbands lay bound beside them. Over 50 women became victims of his systematic terror.

In 1979, the violence escalated. DeAngelo moved his activities south and began murdering couples in their homes. As the Original Night Stalker, he killed at least 13 people in Southern California. Then in 1986, the attacks stopped as suddenly as they had begun. The perpetrator disappeared without a trace.

Decades of Futile Investigation

The case haunted investigators for decades. Despite extensive DNA evidence from crime scenes, the profiles matched no one in existing criminal databases. DNA analysis had shown whom they were looking for—but not where he was.

Paul Holes from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office had worked on the case for 24 years without breakthrough. Meanwhile, true crime author Michelle McNamara became obsessed with the mystery. Her research and book "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" brought renewed attention to the cases and gave the Golden State Killer its unifying name. McNamara died in 2016 without seeing her book published or the perpetrator caught.

The Breakthrough: Forensic Genealogy