Victim in 1999 Wilkinsburg homicide identified after DNA breakthrough
Nearly 27 years after a woman's remains were found in an abandoned Wilkinsburg home, a DNA breakthrough has led to the identification of the victim.
Allegheny County officials on Tuesday identified her as Genelle Bradford.
The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner and Allegheny County Police Department said that Bradford was identified through DNA technology as part of an effort to solve long-running cold cases.
Bradford was 18 years old when she died. Her remains were discovered on June 28, 1999, in the basement of a vacant home in the 600 block of North Avenue after the new property owner discovered them. The home had been empty and abandoned for more than a year.
An autopsy determined Bradford's death was a homicide caused by ligature strangulation. At the time, investigators identified the victim only as "Jane Doe." She was described as a Black female, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, and believed to be between 18 and 20 years old.
Bradford had been reported missing from the Wilkinsburg area on April 24, 1999, police said.
The medical examiner's office and county police partnered with Othram in 2024 through a grant from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to use advanced DNA analysis on more than a dozen unidentified remains cases.
Investigators said Othram developed a DNA profile and identified potential relatives of the victim. The medical examiner's office located a possible family member, and additional testing confirmed the woman's identity as Bradford.
"We are thrilled that once again this partnership has allowed us to provide answers to a family that was left in the dark for so long," Mandy Tinkey, director of forensic services at the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner, said in a statement. "While the focus now shifts towards finding justice for Genelle, we are hopeful we can continue to provide answers for those impacted by the remaining cold cases we have shared with Othram."
"This technology is a testament to why we never stop investigating open cases," Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns said in a statement. "We are grateful for the efforts of everyone involved, and now that Genelle has been formally identified, we will continue to follow every lead available to us in the hopes of getting answers for her family."
To date, county police have not identified a suspect in Bradford's death and are asking anyone with information to contact the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
