EP7 | 18 Minutes

February 20th, 1987, Niles Michigan. Roxanne Wood and her husband Terry enjoy an evening together at their local bowling alley. They drove separately, as couples often do when they meet up after work for a date night. Eventually Roxanne grows tired and tells Terry she’ll meet him at home. 18 minutes later, Terry enters their home to find Roxanne’s bloodied and bruised body on the kitchen floor.

For more than three decades Roxanne’s case was shut up and put aside - a cold case with no leads until Gabriella Vargas, an unlikely forensic genealogist, steps in. Despite skeptics' naysaying, Vargas is able to process the scant amount of DNA evidence and trace the family tree, tracking Roxanne’s killer down once and for all.

Join Sword and Scale as we interview the educator and students who pulled Roxanne’s case out of the depths of darkness, organizing, cataloging and shedding new light on an old crime, as well as the forensic genealogist who, against all odds, cracked the case.

Crew

Host: Mike Boudet (@SwordandScale/@MBoudet)

Creator: Ash Patiño (@AshesToAshTV)

Director: Mark Serao (@Peacemaker_Picture_Society)

Director of Photography: David Patiño (@DavidPatino)

Producer: Dana Serao (@Peacemaker_Picture_Society)

Camera/Audio: Nicholas Goncalves (@NicholasAntonioGoncalves)

Additional Crew Listed on Episode

If you have a true crime story you want to share with the Sword & Scale team, please reach out to Ash Patiño ash@swordandscale.com.