Press, The Associated. “Murder of Two MONTANA Teens in 1956 Finally Closed Using Forensic Genealogy.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 June 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murder-two-montana-teens-1956-finally-closed-using-forensic-genealogy-n1270453.
Going back to 1956, on January 3rd three boys were hiking near Wadsworth Park (northwest of Great Falls). These boys found the dead body of Duane Bulge, just 18, lying next to his car. Just one day later, a county road worker found another dead body. It was the body of Patrica Kalitzke, who was 16 years of age. Since the finding of these bodies, officers have been investigating them for years and were not able to prove anyone guilty. Yet, just recently, this 65-year-old murder mystery was solved. You may wonder, how? Well, the article stated that “DNA evidence preserved after a 1956 double homicide and the use of forensic genealogy has helped a Montana sheriff’s office close the books on the 65-year-old cold case.” (Murder of two Montana teens in 1956 finally closed using forensic genealogy)
Back in June, investigators with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office concluded that Kenneth Gould shot both Patricia Kalitzke and Duane Bogle in the head. Before this conclusion, the “case went cold for decades until 2001.” Detective Phil Matteson picked the case back up in 2001; he sent a vaginal swab gathered from Kalitzke’s body to the Montana State Crime Lab for analysis. However, The lab did not lead to any results. Matteson later ended up retiring and believed that this case would never be solved. Further, it is claimed that “A lot of different people had a turn at this, and we just weren’t able to take it to conclusion.”
Yet, in 2018 forensic genealogy was being used to help adoptees find their biological family members. It was also used to identify Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. as the Golden State Killer. So, in 2019, Cascade County detectives had Bode Technology perform, and DNA testing on the evidence found on Kalitzke’s body. It was uploaded to voluntary genealogical databases, where they discovered a possible family connection. This is what led investigators to Gould. Kadner then went on to reach out to Gould’s children and asked them for DNA samples to verify the match.
Solving this mystery using forensic genealogy is huge, as it can assist detectives in the future. It is a new, simple, and easy technique. Forensic genealogy can also help society in so many other ways. As mentioned it can help adopted children find family. But it can also help lost children find their parents, or just simply help family members find their ancestors. Whatever it may be, forensic genealogy is a huge accomplishment in the field of technology.
Overall, this article did a great job of explaining the steps and the amount of time it took to solve this murder. So, I thought the organization was great. However, I wish this article talked more about why this murder happened. Perhaps, suggesting reasons as to why Gould committed this murder. The author also could have added more about Gould’s personal life. Perhaps, anything going on in his life that could have led him to commit this murder.
posted for J Bazinet
3 comments:
Cate Spitz
Mr. Ippolito
Forensics
September 23, 2021
Current Events Review:
https://bhscsi.blogspot.com/2021/09/murder-of-two-montana-teens-in-1956.html
Press, The Associated. “Murder of Two MONTANA Teens in 1956 Finally Closed Using Forensic Genealogy.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 June 2021,
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murder-two-montana-teens-1956-finally-closed-using-forensic-genealogy-n1270453
Julia did a very good job of going into detail on the case of the dead teens and how “‘“DNA evidence preserved after a 1956 double homicide and the use of forensic genealogy has helped”’ solve the case. Julia also stated important dates so that the reviewer could follow the case and understand the case on a 65 year window. Finally, Julia was able to give a review of the article, telling that she hoped that the article could have “talked more about why this murder happened.”
Julia could have given more of an insight as to her opinions on the murders and how it was solved in the 65 year window. I also wish Julia had been more specific on the people involved in the cases and more information about the killer.
I really enjoyed reading this review as it shows how DNA preserved can solve cases, even in cases that span decades ago. It makes me wonder what DNA tracing will look like in the future.
This article talks about how DNA evidence and forensics genealogy have helped solve a double homicide in Montana 65 years later. Investigators who work with the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office made the connection that Kenneth Gould (who died in 2007) murdered 16-year-old Patricia Kalitzke and 18-year-old Duane Bogle by shooting them in the head. Detective Sgt. Jon Kadner, who took up the case back in 2012, said it was the oldest case he had found nationwide that has been solved using forensic genealogy. The case went cold for many decades until 2019 when Cascade detectives performed additional DNA testing on the evidence which was found on Kalitzke’s body. They uploaded this evidence into a genealogical database where they concluded a possible family connection which lead investigators to Gould. Julia used lots of details to describe the events that happened which made it much easier and enjoyable to read.
One improvement that I believe Julia can make is that she didn't need to have that write so many paragraphs. Instead of having five paragraphs in total, Julia could have had a total of three paragraphs by cutting down certain information. As much as I appreciated her effort of including as much possible detail as possible, not all of it was needed. If she were to have only written three paragraphs, it would have been a much easier and quicker read. And if anything, I could always return back to the article to read about any other information I wanted to know. Other than that, Julia wrote a really good review/summary that was very insightful and helpful.
Both the review and article were really compelling and significant. I found it to be really fascinating that both DNA evidence and forensic genealogy could be just as useful decades later. It’s a great technique that has been around for many years and has helped solve lots of homicides. By reading this review and article, I learned that forensic genealogy is a great technique that greatly helps solve cold cases. This makes me want to dig deeper into other cold cases and see whether or not DNA evidence and forensic genealogy were used to help solve the case and catch the murderer.
Bella Scagnelli
Mr. Ippolito
Forensics Period EF Odd
10/29/21
Julia Bazinet’s Current Event:
Press, The Associated. “Murder of Two MONTANA Teens in 1956 Finally Closed Using Forensic Genealogy.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 June 2021, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murder-two-montana-teens-1956-finally-closed-using-forensic-genealogy-n1270453
Julia did an excellent job of explaining the case of the missing teenagers and how “‘DNA evidence preserved after a 1956 double homicide and the use of forensic genealogy helped”’crack the case. Julia also included specific dates so that the reader could track the case and comprehend it across a 65-year period. Finally, Julia was able to provide feedback on the piece, stating that she wished it had “talked more about why this murder happened.”
Julia could make one modification, in my opinion: she didn't need to write this many paragraphs. Julia could've had a total of three paragraphs rather than five by eliminating certain data. I liked her effort to include as much detail as possible, but not all of it was necessary. It would have been much easier and quicker to read if she had simply written three paragraphs. And, if I needed to, I could always go back to the article and learn about whatever else I needed to know. Aside from that, Julia produced a fantastic review/summary that was both informative and practical.
I particularly valued reading this study because it demonstrates how DNA preservation might help solve instances from decades ago. It makes me wonder what the future of DNA tracing will be like.
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