Karen Percifield was found dead in Aptos Village Park in 1976. Initially, the investigation went cold after DNA evidence offered no leads. In 2019, advancements in DNA testing allowed for genetic genealogy techniques to analyze evidence further. By 2023, Othram Inc. assisted in generating a comprehensive DNA profile, ultimately linking Richard Sommerhalder, who died in 1994, to Percifield’s murder. The breakthrough demonstrates the impact of modern forensic science on long-unsolved cases.
Nearly five decades after the homicide of Karen Percifield, DNA advances led to identifying Richard Sommerhalder as a suspect, previously dead since 1994.
Following a cold case period, DNA evidence and genetic genealogy helped law enforcement identify Richard Sommerhalder as the suspect in the 1976 murder of Karen Percifield.
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