All New “20/20” Reports On the Murders of Two Young Women Each Unsolved for Decades
Over three decades later, investigators from both cases have partnered with Othram, a private forensic lab, to help resolve these cold cases.
David Muir, co-anchor of 20/20, investigates the unsolved murders of two young women, revealing their connection through advanced forensic DNA technology that brings new hope for justice. This episode airs on Friday, March 7, from 9:01 to 11:00 p.m. EST on ABC, with streaming available on Hulu the following day.
What’s Happening:
- In 1988, 19-year-old Cathy Swartz lived in Michigan with her fiancé, Mike Warner, and their 9-month-old daughter, Courteney.
- One day, Mike returned home to find Cathy dead in their bedroom, having been strangled and inflicted with multiple cuts to her throat.
- The assailant left a bloody fingerprint at the scene, but despite extensive efforts by law enforcement, including the examination of thousands of fingerprints and DNA testing, no match was ever identified.
- For many years, detectives pursued the case without uncovering a suspect.
- A few years later, 31-year-old Catherine Edwards, a beloved schoolteacher from Texas, failed to show up for a planned lunch with her parents and her identical twin sister, Allison.
- Worried, her parents went to her home, where they found a shocking scene: Catherine was dead on the bathroom floor, her hands cuffed behind her back.
- The investigation hit a standstill when authorities could not find a match for the killer's DNA, which had been discovered on a bedspread, in the national DNA database.
- Over thirty years later, law enforcement officials from both cases have collaborated with Othram, a private forensic lab, to help resolve these cold cases.
- Muir, reporting from north of Houston, Texas, conducted exclusive interviews with lab owners David and Kristin Mittelman, along with Courteney Swartz, Jennifer Outman, Michael Hardy, and investigators Sam Smallcombe, Todd Peterson, Aaron and Tina Lewallen, and retired Texas Ranger Brandon Bess.
- Othram, located north of Houston, collaborates with law enforcement on cold cases using DNA technology to solve seemingly unsolvable investigations, including the Gilgo Beach murders and Iowa college student homicides.
More Entertainment News:
Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disney travel planning
Fill out the form below for a free, no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com