CODIS
Coverage of CODIS in the Nexus archive.
- DNA technology leads to arrest in 1988 killing of Orlando woman after nearly four decades
A North Carolina man, Willie J. Carpenter, was arrested in 2025 for the 1988 murder of Diane Matthews in Orlando, Florida, after advancements in DNA technology linked his genetic profile to evidence from the crime scene. Investigators identified Carpenter through the CODIS database following an unrelated arrest and confirmed the connection via DNA testing in 2025.
- Cold case killer who chewed cops’ undercover DNA bait faces survivor, families in courtroom showdown
Mitchell Gaff, a 74-year-old Washington man, was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for admitting to two decades-old cold-case killings. He pleaded guilty to the murders of Susan Vesey and Judith Weaver in Everett. The cases were solved using DNA from a piece of gum.
- DNA from chewing gum nails longtime sexual predator decades after reign of terror: report
Mitchell Gaff, a 68-year-old self-proclaimed rapist, pleaded guilty to two decades-old cold case murders after investigators matched DNA from his discarded chewing gum to crime scenes. Police used a ruse, posing as gum researchers, to collect the DNA sample that linked him to the 1980 and 1984 murders of Susan Vesey and Judith 'Judy' Weaver.