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DNA Breakthrough Leads to Capital Murder Charge in 1986 Killing of Texas Teen

Genetic genealogy funding unlocked a suspect in a case once marred by a wrongful conviction.

Overview

  • Authorities, in a Wednesday press conference, named Bobby Charles Taylor Sr. as the suspect and said a DNA match carried what the sheriff called a one-in-octillion confidence level.
  • Investigators used forensic genetic genealogy, paid for by Texas DPS’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and run by Bode Technology, to link preserved crime-scene DNA to Taylor.
  • Taylor was found in Mexico, turned himself in to FBI agents there, and was extradited to Montgomery County to face a capital murder charge.
  • Deanna Ogg, 16, left for a nearby convenience store in 1986 and was found that evening off Old Houston Road, and an earlier defendant, Roy Criner, was later cleared by DNA in 2000.
  • If convicted, Taylor could face the death penalty or life in prison, and officials said the case is now moving into court with a defense attorney still to be appointed.