True Crime Report: Rita Curran Cold Case

I am continually fascinated by the cold cases from the 1970's and 80's that are being solved now with the advent of DNA technology, and specifically with genetic genealogy.  The most famous, of course, is the case of Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo, the former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 and 1986. If you haven't read crime writer Michelle McNamara's book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, about his eventual identification and capture, I highly recommend it.

These criminals thought they had gotten away with their crimes, and many did, because solving a case back then relied upon eyewitnesses or some direct link between the perpetrator and the victim. Thank goodness, even then, crime scene investigators had the foresight to collect biological evidence even though there was no productive testing available for it at the time.

Which brings me to the Rita Curran case. In the summer of 1971 Rita was living on her own for the first time in an apartment she shared with roommates. She was just 24 years old, a school teacher and a graduate student. This is so relatable to me and probably most people - she was just a young woman making a living, going to school, and starting her life. 

On July 20, 1971 Rita was found dead by one of her roommates. She had been severely beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death.

Police conducted a typical investigation. They interviewed the roommates and others living in the apartment building, they solicited and followed-up on tips and leads, and, most importantly, they collected evidence from the crime scene, including a cigarette butt and some of Rita's clothing. But with no eyewitness and no known enemies in Rita's life, there wasn't much to go on and the case went cold.

In 2014, 43 years later, the evidence collected at the scene was sent for DNA testing. Had the perpetrator been convicted of a felony somewhere along the way, this would have been a slam dunk, as all felons are required to have their DNA entered into databases compiled by law enforcement agencies across the country. But there was no match. 

Finally, in 2019, the case was re-examined using genetic genealogy, a technique that combines genetic analysis with genealogical research to study family history and uncover genetic relationships between individuals. When aligned with a criminal investigation, this technique can both eliminate suspects and provide leads as to who likely committed the crime.

In this case, genetic genealogy led investigators to William DeRoos, a married man who lived in Rita's apartment building. DeRoos had been questioned at the time, but was provided an alibi by his wife. Ultimately, when re-interviewed by the current investigators, his wife admitted that she had lied about her husband being with her all night in their apartment. A cigarette smoker, William DeRoos never could have known that the butt he so casually tossed aside while committing this horrific crime would one day confirm he was a murderer.

Today, crime scene investigators have so many more tools to aid in their investigations. Criminals are no doubt smart enough now to not deliberately leave something like a cigarette butt behind, but what about all those things left unintentionally? Saliva, hair, fingernail scrapings, blood, sweat, semen - you name it, if a criminal leaves it behind it will be found and tested. If I was a criminal I'd be worried, wouldn't you?