ABC News Presents New Prime-Time Series “The Genetic Detective” Begins Tuesday, May 26[VIDEO]

Investigative Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore Helps Police Uncover a Criminal Suspect’s Identity Through Crime Scene DNA, Research and Revolutionary Technology

Moore Takes on Her First-Ever Cold Case – the Double Homicide of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg – in Series Premiere, Tuesday, May 26 (10:00 – 11:00PM EDT), on ABC

ABC News presents a new prime-time series, “The Genetic Detective,” that follows investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore and her work with DNA technology company Parabon NanoLabs. In the series, Moore and her team are revolutionizing crime solving by working with police departments and accessible crime scene DNA to help trace the path of a criminal suspect’s family tree, uncover their identity and bring them to justice. “The Genetic Detective” premieres Tuesday, May 26 (10:00 – 11:00PM EDT), on ABC.

For the past decade, Moore, a self-trained genetic genealogist, has pioneered genetic genealogy techniques utilizing a growing body of genetic data in conjunction with traditional genealogical records to help adoptees find their birth parents and to solve family mysteries. Since 2018, Moore has used her unique research skills to transform the face of crime-solving, helping to identify more than 100 violent criminal suspects.

“I had a growing passion for genetic genealogy and I recognized its power very early on. Yet at the time, in 2010, there was no such thing as a professional genetic genealogist so I had to blaze my own trail in order to make this my full-time career,” said Moore. “I knew the potential these techniques had for solving mysteries – really, for any type of human identification. Whether it is an adoptee looking to find their birth parents or helping law enforcement track down a potential suspect, this process provides answers in a new way and helps a family move beyond something that’s painful or has been burdening them.”

In the series premiere titled “The Case of the Missing Lovebirds,” Moore works with Seattle’s Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and takes on her first-ever cold case as a genetic genealogist – the double homicide of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg. The young couple disappeared in 1987 after taking a ferry from Vancouver to Seattle and were later found miles apart, gagged, bound, and brutally murdered. With a smattering of clues, but no real leads, the case was cold for 30 years. The episode includes interviews with Jay’s parents, Gordon and Leona Cook; Tanya’s brother, John Van Cuylenborg; Snohomish County law enforcement retired Sheriff Rick Bart, and Detective Jim Scharf; and radio reporter Hanna Scott.

“The Genetic Detective” will also examine the murder of 8-year-old April Tinsley with Indiana’s Fort Wayne Police Department; the double homicide of mother and daughter Sherri and Megan Scherer with the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department in Missouri as well as the murder of Genevieve Zitricki with the Greenville Police Department in South Carolina; the 1996 murder of Angie Dodge with Idaho Falls Police Department in Idaho; the Ramsey Street Rapist with North Carolina’s Fayetteville Police Department; and the 2018 rape of 79-year-old Carla Brooks with Utah’s St. George Police Department.

“The Genetic Detective” is a co-production with ABC News and XCON Productions. Carrie Cook and Marc Dorian serve as co-executive producers for ABC News. Christine Connor is executive producer, and Christopher K. Dillon is co-executive producer for XCON Productions. CeCe Moore is producer.

AIRDATE CHANGE

CECE MOORE CRACKS A 1998 COLD CASE USING GENETIC GENEALOGY TO IDENTIFY THE MURDERER OF MOTHER-DAUGHTER SHERRI AND MEGAN SCHERER ON ‘THE GENETIC DETECTIVE,’ Tuesday, June 2, ON ABC

“Hunt for the Runaway Killer” – Investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore works with the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department on the 1998 murder of Sherri and Megan Scherer, a mother and daughter from New Madrid, Missouri. As the investigation takes Moore and detectives on a series of unexpected detours across the country, they uncover the identity of a previously unknown serial killer and Moore ends up meeting with the killer’s daughter. The episode features interviews with Steven Scherer, son and brother to the victims; law enforcement from New Madrid and Greenville, South Carolina, and Memphis, Tennessee; the killer’s daughter Deborah Brashers-Claunch; DNA expert Ruth Montgomery; and TV reporter Kathy Sweeney. A new episode of “The Genetic Detective” premieres Tuesday, June 2 (10:00-11:00PM EDT), on ABC.

“The Genetic Detective” is a co-production with ABC News and XCON Productions. Carrie Cook and Marc Dorian serve as co-executive producers for ABC News. Christine Connor is executive producer, and Christopher K. Dillon is co-executive producer for XCON Productions. CeCe Moore is producer.