Cold cases sat unsolved until now. See the stories

Decades-old mysteries finally found answers thanks to new DNA breakthroughs. In one story, California deputies identified Jeffrey Thomas Rupen after a skull was dropped off at their sheriff's office in 2001. In Wisconsin, skeletal remains stuck in a music store's chimney were identified 34 years later.

Read the stories below.

Twenty three years after a human skull was brought into the main lobby of a sheriff’s office, it has been identified, California deputies say. Photo from Sonoma County Sheriff's Office

NO. 1: SOMEONE WALKED INTO SHERIFF’S OFFICE WITH SKULL IN 2001, COPS SAY. NOW IT’S IDENTIFIED

Aside from missing a jaw, “the skull was in good condition.” | Published April 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

Skeletal remains found in the chimney of a Madison, Wisconsin, music store have been identified 34 years later, officials say. DNA Doe Project.

NO. 2: MYSTERIOUS SKELETAL REMAINS IN MUSIC STORE’S CHIMNEY ID’D 34 YEARS LATER: WI OFFICIALS

Discovered in 1989, the case of the mystery skeleton fueled speculation and frustrated Wisconsin investigators for decades. | Published May 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mitchell Willetts

Melonie White was found dead on Aug. 27, 1994, police said. Photo from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

NO. 3: HIKERS FOUND WOMAN’S BODY 30 YEARS AGO, NEVADA COPS SAY. NOW THERE’S A SUSPECT

“She was just a really nice person,” the woman’s brother said. | Published October 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

Tamara Mattson was found dead at Camano Island State Park on Dec. 9, 2003, Island County deputies say. Photo from Island County Sheriff’s Office

NO. 4: MOM OF 7’S KILLING WAS MYSTERY FOR YEARS, UNTIL CIGARETTE OFFERED A CLUE, WA COPS SAY

The 39-year-old mother was found dead in Camano Island State Park in 2003, deputies said. | Published January 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

Lachelle “Shelly” Waite was found dead inside her home on Jan. 16, 1986, Phoenix police said. Photo from Phoenix Police Department

NO. 5: 18-YEAR-OLD’S ‘AMAZING FUTURE’ CUT SHORT IN 1986 KILLING, AZ COPS SAY. NOW ARREST MADE

“She was just a genuinely nice, intelligent person,” a police detective said. | Published February 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Daniella Segura

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.