Detective Matt Hutchison of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety in California used genealogical methods to solve the 1982 murder of Karen Stitt and the 1979 killing of Estella Mena.
Karen Stitt Case (1982): 15-year-old Karen Stitt was sexually assaulted and stabbed 59 times near a Sunnyvale bus stop on September 3, 1982. The case went cold for nearly 40 years.
In 2019, Hutchison began working with an investigative genetic genealogist. By 2021, genealogy had narrowed the suspect list to one of four brothers from Fresno, California. In April 2022, Hutchison obtained DNA from a daughter of Gary Gene Ramirez through her discarded trash in Southern California.
The DNA showed a familial match to the crime scene evidence.
Gary Ramirez, 75 at the time of his August 2, 2022 arrest in Maui, Hawaii, pleaded no contest to first-degree murder on February 24, 2025. On May 12, 2025, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, the maximum sentence for a man of his age.
Why this matters: The “trash can DNA” technique (collecting discarded items from a suspect or their family member) is becoming increasingly common in IGG cases. It provides confirmatory evidence without alerting the suspect.
Estella Mena Case (1979): 18-year-old Estella Mena was working as a security guard when she was killed on October 16, 1979. DNA evidence analyzed in 2023 identified Samuel Silva, a Sunnyvale resident with prior convictions, as the suspect. Silva died in federal prison in 2008, never having been charged with Mena’s murder.
📺 Featured on ABC’s 20/20 “Badass Detective” episode (aired January 9, 2026, streaming on Disney+/Hulu)
Sources:
- Wikipedia: “Murder of Karen Stitt”
- CBS San Francisco: “Man sentenced to life in 1982 cold case murder” (May 13, 2025)
- Palo Alto Online: “Man gets life sentence for 1982 murder” (May 13, 2025)
- ABC News: 20/20 “Badass Detective” (January 9, 2026)
San Jose: 28-Year Wait Ends for Alice Sharitz Family
Joe Angel Contreras, 75, of Dallas, Oregon, was arrested December 19, 2025, and charged with the 1997 murder of 84-year-old Alice Sharitz. He was extradited to California on January 6, 2026, and the arrest was publicly announced January 8, 2026.
Sharitz was found stabbed and beaten to death in her East San Jose apartment on October 6, 1997. Authorities say she and Contreras were in a dating relationship at the time.
The DNA evidence: Mucus found in a toilet at the crime scene was preserved. In 2021, the DNA profile was submitted for forensic genetic genealogy analysis. In October 2024, genealogists identified Contreras as a potential source. In December 2024, a DNA sample was obtained from Contreras. In February 2025, the Santa Clara County DA Crime Lab confirmed the match.
The timeline:
- 1997: Murder occurs, DNA collected and preserved
- 2021: DNA profile submitted for IGG analysis
- Oct 2024: Contreras identified through genealogy
- Dec 2024: Confirmatory DNA sample obtained
- Feb 2025: Santa Clara County lab confirms match
- Dec 19, 2025: Contreras arrested in Oregon
- Jan 6, 2026: Extradited to California
- Jan 8, 2026: Arrest publicly announced
Contreras has been charged with murder and is being held without bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on January 13, 2026. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What took so long? Even after IGG identifies a suspect, the genealogy work must be verified, the suspect located, confirmatory DNA obtained, and extensive lab work completed. This case shows the careful, methodical process behind each arrest announcement.
Sources:
- San Jose Police Department press release (January 8, 2026)
- CBS San Francisco: “Suspect in 1997 cold case murder arrested” (January 8, 2026)
- NBC Bay Area: “Arrest made in 1997 San Jose cold case” (January 8, 2026)
- Mercury News: “San Jose: Toilet bowl phlegm leads to arrest” (January 7, 2026)
💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A team of resolute and creative investigators just solved the 28-year-old murder of a senior citizen. Justice for Alice Sharitz and her loved ones was long in coming, but it is here. It took DNA. It took genealogy. And it took the mindset of the SJPD and the DA’s Cold Case Unit to never give up on a victim, ever.” — Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen
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© Crime Decoded 2026. Information verified against law enforcement press releases and court records. Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty.