Investigation Discovery’s “On The Case With Paula Zahn: The Year of Fear The story follows the death of a 19-year-old college student identified as Deborah Tomlinson. The victim was murdered at the Grand Junction, Colorado scene in December of 1975. It took nearly five decades for investigators until the murder solved using advanced DNA technology as well as traditional police investigation. If you’re interested and would like to know more about the incident and who the culprit was, we’ve provided you with all the information you need. We’ll start with a question, do we?
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How Did Deborah “Debi” Tomlinson Die?
Born in the year 1955, Deborah “Debi” Tomlinson, 19 years old, she was a student at the college in the year 1975. She was a bubbly and social child who was a lover of people. They father of her, Jim Tomlinson, reminisced that she was an intelligent and quiet child with interest in horses. So, it was a surprise to hear that she had died. Grand Junction Police Department of Colorado responded to a 911 call that said a woman had died within one of the units at Tomlinson’s residence. Tomlinson residence.
The police were on the scene in the 1,000 block of Belford Avenue, Grand Junction to discover Debi’s body. Debi. Debi was locked, raped and strangled until she died. The autopsy report listed that she died of asphyxiation. Death. In the future, the investigators would say that the violence of the crime scene was mind-numbing and it was difficult to comprehend what the teenager had to endure during the final hours of her life.
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Who Killed Deborah “Debi” Tomlinson?
In the years 1975 to 1976, investigators collected a wealth of evidence, including semen and blood, investigating the murder of Debi. As the show explains, the main suspect was Debi’s uncle. The police thoroughly examined the man. But, in April 1976, he had been exonerated of any suspicion, and the investigation was deemed to be unsolved as the police had exhausted all leads , with no new evidence emerging.
The cold-case unit opened the case in 2019, as detectives with fresh eyes started scouring through all evidence. DNA technology and forensic sciences have advanced dramatically over the last four decades; The detectives got the idea to use the assistance of a DNA technology firm located in Virginia to assist in solving the investigation.
Parabon NanoLabs analyzed the unknown crime scene DNA sample to build a genetic data profile. It also constructed a family tree by using public records to find the person responsible for the crime. The results were then run through a publicly accessible genealogical database. Chief Genetic Genealogist of Parabon CeCe Moore stated, “We process the DNA, so we can look at 850,000 genetic markers that will allow us to predict relationships that are distant.” The Virginia lab was able to narrow the possibilities until they concluded that the DNA came from an individual named Jimmy Dean Duncan.
It was the Grand Junction Police Department then utilized the standard police procedure to determine Jimmy Dean Duncan as a suspect. Detectives collected DNA from Duncan’s relative and then submitted the DNA sample to be compared with the DNA evidence discovered at the scene. It was the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the DNA samples match.
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Is Jimmy Duncan Dead?
Prior to the time that Parabon was involved in the investigation The detectives didn’t have any information about Jimmy as a suspect in the murder of Debi. Therefore, when the results came, and the police from The Grand Junction Police Department resorted to the traditional methods of police to confirm his identity as the murderer. They located Jimmy’s brother to collect a consensual DNA sample and then match the results. It was the Colorado Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the DNA samples were identical.
The police were finally in a position to prove beyond any doubt Jimmy was the perpetrator in the murder case of 1975. They believed the possibility that Jimmy had a close relative who lived close to Debi’s college and that he could have had a conversation with her during an excursion to the relatives. But, Jimmy, the Colorado native passed away in 1987 from natural causes.
His age was 30 years old at the time of his passing. Tomlinson family members Tomlinson family finally got closure after the tragic death of their child. Debi’s father, Jim, said, “It took a lot of burden off my shoulders. I don’t know why, but the least I can do is know who was responsible.”
