After 14 years, a single drop of blood solved the murder: The technology that exposed the suspect
An advanced DNA test led FBI investigators to a real estate agent from Texas, who was arrested on suspicion of murdering her friend in her apartment. The method that helped solve the case was genetic genealogy, which allowed investigators to compare samples from family databases.
A breakthrough in a murder investigation that took place more than a decade ago has led to the arrest of a real estate agent from Texas, suspected of murdering her friend after stabbing her about 100 times. The investigation, which remained unsolved for 14 years, progressed following the use of the FBI's Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) technology.
Mayra Velasquez, 42, was arrested on July 16 and transferred to the Tarrant County Jail. She is charged with the aggravated murder of Erasma Chavez, who was found lifeless in her apartment in the city of Arlington, Texas, in January 2012. The judge ordered Velasquez to be held in custody without the possibility of release on bail.
According to the Arlington Police and the FBI, the breakthrough in the investigation came after investigators compared DNA found at the crime scene to public genealogical databases used to locate family ties and identify suspects.
Velasquez's attorneys argue that the mere presence of her DNA in the apartment does not constitute proof of involvement in the murder. According to them, the two were close friends, and Velasquez had access to Chavez's apartment and visited it many times.
Chavez, 32, was found dead in her apartment on January 20, 2012. Investigators found no signs of forced entry, and security cameras recorded a person who arrived at the apartment the night before the murder and entered after being let inside. A drop of blood that did not belong to the victim was also found at the scene, and it was preserved over the years for future testing.
In 2016, the police attempted to use DNA phenotyping technology to create a possible profile of the suspect. According to investigators, the sample pointed to a woman of Latino descent with dark hair and dark eyes. However, only in November 2024, after the investigation was transferred to the FBI's genetic genealogy program in Dallas, was a significant investigative lead found.
According to the investigation documents as published, in May, investigators collected a DNA sample from a plastic fork that had been thrown in the trash. Laboratory tests showed that the sample matches the blood found at the murder scene in 2012.
Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said that the use of DNA technologies has helped solve about 13–14 cases classified as "cold" over the past year and a half. The FBI also noted that since 2018, genetic genealogy has contributed to solving hundreds of investigations across the United States.
