Authorities in Washington have successfully identified the murderer of an 18-year-old woman whose lifeless body was discovered on a riverbed 36 years ago.
On August 28, 1988, fishermen in the Puyallup River stumbled upon the body of Tracy Whitney, a young woman last seen a day earlier leaving a Burger King following an argument with her friends.
Her body was found unclothed, and the autopsy concluded that her death resulted from asphyxia due to strangulation and likely smothering.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department also suspected that Tracy had been sexually assaulted.
Following the discovery, detectives launched an investigation, conducting interviews in an effort to capture the individual responsible for her death.
DNA samples were collected, but the technology at the time did not allow for the identification of the perpetrator, causing the case to go cold.
In 2005, police attempted to find a match using the national DNA database, but no positive results were achieved.
In 2022, thanks to a grant from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, a detective in the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit resubmitted the DNA to a genetic genealogy lab for further analysis.
This testing enabled analysts to construct a family tree from the DNA profile, leading investigators to identify a relative of the suspect—a biological son.
The DNA collected during the initial investigation was matched to the suspect, John Guillot, Jr. However, as he passed away in January 2022, he could not be held accountable in court.
On Saturday (November 30), the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office announced the resolution of the case.
In a Facebook post, they stated: “There were no connections between Tracy and Guillot Jr and detectives believe this was a stranger abduction, rape and murder.
“Our Cold Case Unit is always looking into the past trying to find answers for families just like Tracy’s. We are glad they can finally have an answer and some closure with the solving of this case.”
Tracy’s family expressed to CBS News affiliate KIRO that the case’s resolution has provided them with a sense of peace.
Her sister, Robin, commented: “We believe that John Guillot Jr. likely committed other crimes. However, since he is deceased and due to current legal restrictions, his DNA cannot be uploaded into CODIS (law enforcement DNA database). We hope that this policy can be reevaluated, as it could aid in solving additional cases.”