The DNA that separated Jennifer and Michelle
In the summer of 1986, two girls disappeared in Tacoma, Washington, under disturbingly similar circumstances. For decades, investigators assumed that the cases of Jennifer Bastian and Michelle Welch were connected, but science would reveal an unexpected truth. What secret did the DNA hold that would change everything that was believed to be known?
In this episode, we examine the disappearance of thirteen-year-old Jennifer Bastian and how her case intertwined with the murder of Michelle Welch. We explore the initial investigation, the conflicting testimonies, and the crucial role that DNA would play nearly thirty years later. How could a single forensic test separate two tragedies that seemed identical?
Case: Disappearance and murder
Location: Tacoma, Washington
Date: August 1986
Victims: Jennifer Bastian, Michelle Welch
Evidence: Semen sample, DNA profile
- Thirteen-year-old Jennifer Bastian disappeared on August 4, 1986, after going for a bike ride in a seven-hundred-acre park.
- Her father, Ralph Bastian, reported her missing at eight-thirty in the evening after Jennifer did not return at the agreed time.
- In the same weeks of August 1986, Michelle Welch was murdered in Tacoma, and a semen sample was recovered from her body.
- A witness reported seeing Jennifer in the park with a man in a truck, while another witness claimed to have seen her alone around six in the evening.
- The DNA profile from Michelle Welch's case was used to rule out dozens of men, including the suspect from the truck.
Topics Covered: true crime, #TrueCrime, #TrueCrimePodcast, true crime, #CrimenReal, #CrimenEnEspañol, murders, #AsesinatosReales, #CriminalesFamosos, unsolved cases, #CasosSinResolver, #InvestigacionCriminal, criminal stories, #HistoriasCriminales, #NarracionCriminal, crime podcast, #PodcastDeCrimen, #PodcastDeMisterio, disappearances, #Desapariciones, #Misterio, criminal investigation, true crime Spanish, #TrueCrimeEnEspañol, mystery, real cases, #CasosReales, #HistoriasReales, real murders, mysterious disappearances, famous crimes, #CrimenesFamosos, #CasosFamosos, serial killers, #AsesinosSeriales, #SerialKillers, crime stories, #HistoriasDeCrimen
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