Forty-four years after a crime that shook a community in Northern California, the United States Justice system has secured a conviction thanks to advancements in forensic genetics. A jury in Sonoma County has found James Oliver Unick, 64, guilty of the murder of teenager Sarah Geer in 1982, and has sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On the night of May 23, 1982, the 13-year-old girl was last seen in Cloverdale. The next morning, her body was found in a secluded area near some apartments. Although it was determined from the beginning to be a homicide, limitations in forensic techniques at the time prevented the identification of a suspect.
The first significant breakthrough occurred in 2003 when a specialist from the California Department of Justice managed to create a genetic profile from samples collected during the initial investigation. However, at that time, there were no matches in the available criminal databases.
The case was reopened in 2021 with the support of the FBI and the use of genetic genealogy, a technique that combines DNA analysis with the reconstruction of family trees from public databases. This methodology narrowed the search down to a small group of related individuals.
Investigators later obtained a DNA sample from Unick from a cigarette butt he had discarded. The analysis confirmed a match with the genetic profile developed years ago and with other preserved evidence from the case. He was arrested in 2024 at his home in California.
During the trial, the accused initially denied any involvement, but later changed his version of events. The jury rejected his testimony and, after deliberating for a few hours, found him guilty of murder with aggravating circumstances.
The verdict, announced on the same day the victim would have turned 57, closes the oldest case brought before a jury in Sonoma County and serves as a new example of the crucial role modern forensic science plays in solving cold cases.