ILLINOIS 1972 Cold Case Solved After 49 Years — DNA Led Police to a Man Who Lived 1 Mile Away

ILLINOIS 1972 Cold Case Solved After 49 Years — DNA Led Police to a Man Who Lived 1 Mile Away On July 7, 1972, 15-year-old Julie Ann Hanson left her family's home in Naperville, Illinois, riding her younger brother's bicycle to watch his baseball game. She never arrived. The following morning, her body was discovered in a nearby cornfield, the victim of a brutal murder that would haunt her family and the local community for nearly five decades. Despite an extensive investigation involving hundreds of interviews and numerous potential suspects, detectives were unable to identify her killer. However, one crucial piece of biological evidence was carefully preserved, waiting for forensic technology to advance. This video follows the extraordinary 49-year investigation, from the original crime scene and decades of unanswered questions to the revolutionary use of investigative genetic genealogy. In 2020, the Naperville Police Department partnered with Identifinders International, where forensic genealogists reconstructed a usable DNA profile from the tiny, degraded sample. By comparing genetic information through genealogy databases and building an extensive family tree, investigators were eventually led to Barry Lee Whelpley, a retired welder living in Minnesota who had resided approximately one mile from Julie's home in 1972. Whelpley was arrested in June 2021 and charged with first-degree murder. However, the case took another heartbreaking turn when he died in custody in February 2024, before standing trial, leaving the family without a final courtroom verdict. This is the story of Julie Ann Hanson, the evidence that survived nearly half a century, and the determined investigators who refused to let an innocent girl's name disappear into the silence of an unsolved cold case. 📚 REFERENCES & FURTHER READING Naperville Police Department — Julie Ann Hanson Cold Case Breakthrough: http s://www.naperville.il.us/services... Will County State's Attorney Office — Charges Filed in 1972 Hanson Murder: http s://www.willcountysao.com/... Identifinders International — "Solved in 2 Hours" (Fountain Valley, CA): http s://identifinders.com/identifinde... Daily Herald — Man Charged with 1972 Murder of 15-Year-Old Naperville Girl: http s://www.dailyherald.com/news/2021... Chicago Sun-Times — Julie Ann Hanson Cold Case Arrest: http s://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/6/4... CBS News — Trillionth of a Gram of DNA Cracks 1972 Naperville Cold Case: http s://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/... ABC7 Chicago — DNA Leads to Arrest in 49-Year-Old Naperville Cold Case: http s://abc7chicago.com/naperville-co... NBC Chicago — Man Arrested in 1972 Murder of 15-Year-Old Naperville Girl: http s://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local... NCTV17 (Naperville Community Television) — Hanson Case Archive: http s://archive.nctv17.org/?s=Whelpley Patch Naperville (John Ferak) — Will County Murder Case Court Coverage: http s://patch.com/illinois/naperville... CBS News — Judge Tosses Suspect's Statements in Hanson Case: http s://www.cbsnews.com/news/julie-an... Daily Herald — "This Is My Closure": Charges Dropped Following Suspect's Death: http s://www.dailyherald.com/20240313/... AP via Star Tribune — Minnesota Man Awaiting Trial Found Dead in Illinois Cell: http s://www.startribune.com/article/6... Fox 9 Minneapolis — Mounds View Man Dies in Illinois Jail Before Trial: http s://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-t... Patch Joliet — Elderly Man Dies in Will County Jail Cell: http s://patch.com/illinois/joliet/eld... Chicago Tribune / Naperville Sun (Suzanne Baker) — 1972 Homicide Press Conference Coverage: http s://www.chicagotribune.com/suburb... 📖 FURTHER READING "The Investigative Genealogist" — case studies in forensic genetic genealogy "The Lost Family" by Libby Copeland (Abrams Press, 2020) — context on consumer DNA and investigative genealogy "I Know Who You Are" by Barbara Rae-Venter (Ballantine Books, 2023) — forensic genealogy from the inside 🎬 RELATED VIEWING CBS 2 Chicago — "Nearly Two Years After Arrest, Suspect in 1972 Cold Case Has Not Gone to Trial" (Chris Tye) CBS 2 Chicago — "Family of 1972 Naperville Murder Victim Finally Has Closure" (Jill Steininger interview, 2024)