CLOVERDALE, U.S. — Feb. 18, 2026: A decades-old cold case has finally been resolved, with a Sonoma County jury convicting a man for the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, nearly 44 years after the crime, thanks to modern DNA and genetic genealogy techniques.
The breakthrough hinged on DNA extracted from a discarded cigarette that linked the suspect to the crime scene.
The 1982 Crime That Shocked a Community
On May 23, 1982, 13-year-old Sarah Geer disappeared after leaving a friend’s home in Cloverdale, California. Her body was discovered the following day in an alleyway — she had been raped and strangled to death.
At the time, forensic technology was limited, and despite evidence collected, the case quickly went cold.
Decades passed with few leads. In 2003, law enforcement developed a DNA profile from biological evidence in the case, but it did not match any suspects in national databases.
The breakthrough came years later through advances in investigative genetic genealogy.
Genetic Genealogy and the Cigarette DNA Match
In 2021, the Cloverdale Police Department enlisted the help of the FBI and genealogists to analyse the old DNA profile using familial databases.
This led investigators to a shortlist of potential suspects, among them James Oliver Unick, who was later surveilled by law enforcement.
Agents then obtained a discarded cigarette butt that Unick had thrown away, and DNA extracted from it matched the crime scene DNA and the male profile developed in 2003, confirming a link to the murder.
Unick was arrested at his home in July 2024 and faced trial on charges including murder and rape.
During the trial, he denied strangling Geer, but the jury rejected his claims and delivered a guilty verdict in February 2026. Prosecutors said this was one of the coldest cases ever presented to a Sonoma County jury.
A Life Sentence and Justice at Last
The conviction carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole, bringing long-awaited justice to Geer’s family and the community.
Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez noted that the verdict, delivered on what would have been Sarah’s 57th birthday, was a tribute to persistent investigation and scientific progress.
The case highlights how modern forensic science, especially genetic genealogy paired with traditional evidence, is enabling closure in cold cases that once seemed unsolvable.
It serves as a reminder that even seemingly minor pieces of evidence — like a discarded cigarette — can become crucial in bringing perpetrators to justice.
