'Justice Finally Served': Four Decades On, DNA From Cigarette Helps Identify Teenager's Killer

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 09:00 IST

Sarah Geer's 1982 murder in Cloverdale, California was solved after 44 years using DNA from a cigarette butt.

In a remarkable breakthrough, authorities in California have nabbed the killer of a teenager over four decades after she was murdered. Interestingly, DNA found on a discarded cigarette helped investigators solve the case.

Sarah Geer, 13, was last seen leaving her friend’s house in Cloverdale, California, on May 23, 1982.

The next morning, a firefighter walking home from work discovered her body, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office stated in a news release. According to authorities, she had been dragged down an alley to an isolated area near the apartment.

Behind a fence, she was subjected to sexual assault and strangulated, they said. Although her death was ruled a homicide, the ‘limited forensic science of the day’ made it difficult for investigators to identify the suspect. As a result, the case stretched on for decades, prosecutors said.

Nearly 44 years after Sarah’s murder, the jury found James Unick, 64, guilty of the murder. Genetic genealogy, which combines DNA evidence and traditional genealogy, helped match DNA found on Sarah’s clothing to Unick’s DNA from a cigarette butt, prosecutors revealed.

“This guilty verdict is a testament to everyone who never gave up searching for Sarah’s killer," District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said.

“This is the coldest case ever presented to a Sonoma County jury. While 44 years is too long to wait, justice has finally been served, both to Sarah’s loved ones as well as her community", he added.

A BREAK IN THE CASE

In 2003, investigators built a DNA profile based on sperm collected from Sarah’s underwear, prosecutors said.

However, the profile did not match with anyone whose DNA was available for comparison, with the probe coming to a halt again.

In 2021, the Cloverdale Police Department reopened the case, saying it had been in communication with an investigation firm in late 2019 and had partnered with them, hoping they could revisit the case’s evidence “with the latest technological advancements in cold case work."

The investigation also enlisted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to help identify a potential match to the DNA profile, developed back in 2003.

“The FBI, with its access to familial genealogical databases, concluded that the source of the DNA evidence collected from Sarah belonged to one of four brothers, including James Unick," prosecutors said in the court.

Once investigators narrowed down the list of suspects to the four brothers, the FBI “conducted surveillance of the defendant and collected a discarded cigarette that he had been smoking," they added.

A DNA analysis of the discarded cigarette confirmed James Unick’s DNA matched with the 2003 profile. In July 2024, Unick was arrested from his house in Willows, California.

“Today represents a bittersweet victory for justice," Cloverdale Chief of Police Chris Parker said in a 2024 statement after Unick was held.

“While nothing can undo the pain inflicted upon the Geer family and our community, we can finally offer some solace in knowing that the perpetrator will be held accountable", they said.

Unick is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23.

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