Advanced DNA testing links DeKalb County murder suspect to 3 cold cases

Advanced DNA testing helped DeKalb County investigators identify a man they say is connected to three previously unsolved crimes in Tucker dating back more than a decade.

The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office obtained warrants Tuesday charging Jamal Toliaferro, 45, in two sexual assaults and a kidnapping reported between 2014 and 2024, according to a Wednesday news conference.

The new charges include rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, armed robbery and possession of a knife during a felony.

DeKalb County DA Sherry Boston said DNA evidence connected the three cases, but the samples did not initially identify a suspect. The cases involved a 54-year-old woman sexually assaulted in December 2014, a 35-year-old woman sexually assaulted in January 2019 and a 67-year-old woman kidnapped and injured in March 2024.

The DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force used forensic investigative genetic genealogy, a process that compares DNA with profiles in genealogy databases to find possible relatives and narrow the search for a suspect.

"FIGG requires investigators to look at a SNP profile, which stands for single nucleotide polymorphism also known as a SNP," Boston explained. "SNP profiles examine a much larger number of genetic markers in a DNA sample in order to identify not just one person, but who they might be related to in order to generate investigative leads."

The break came after Toliaferro was arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing near Evelyn Street in Tucker in July. Toliaferro is charged with malice murder, criminal trespass and obstruction in the death of 30-year-old Kenyon Jeffries, according to the district attorney's office.

Police obtained Toliaferro's DNA during that investigation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation later determined that his DNA matched evidence from all three unsolved cases, the district attorney's office said.

"We are here today because of advancements in science and investigative technology, and the relentless pursuit of justice by the DeKalb County cold case task force," Boston said. 

Investigators believe there could be additional victims. Anyone with information about Toliaferro or the alleged crimes can call the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office tip line at 404-371-2444.

Toliaferro is being held in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.