36-Year-Old WA Cold Murder Case Solved with DNA Geneology

The Pierce County Sheriff's Office has announced the latest in a series of DNA Geneology-solved criminal cases in the Pacific Northwest.

  Female Victim found floating in river in Pierce County in 1988

August 28th, 1988, Pierce County Detectives and other law enforcement agencies were called to an area near where the White and Puyallup Rivers converge, about a deceased woman found floating in the water. She was found by some fishermen. The woman, whose body was not clothed, was found to have likely been strangled to death, and also showed signs of sexual and physical assault.

As time wore on, she was ID'd as Tracy Whitney, but the case soon went cold despite an extensive investigation. In 2005, DNA taken from her body and the crime scene was sent to the national CODIS Database, but no 'hits' were found.

Multiple potential suspects were identified, but each was cleared of any wrongdoing, leading to the cold case.

Finally, utilizing a state grant, in 2022, DNA from the case was sent to a lab, and a Genetic Geneology test was conducted. This is a new cutting-edge tech that can utilize family history to help trace identities using DNA.

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With the help of the test, the PCSO says the killer was identified as John Guillot Jr., but officials say he died a few weeks prior to them getting the results of the test.

The PCSO says the incident was random, there was no previous connection between Guillot Jr. and Whitney. Detectives say this was a random abduction, assault and murder.

This new technology can not only help locate suspects, but can also provide closure for victim's families.