The Forever Witness
How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder
Edward Humes
Dutton Books | November 29, 2022 | $28.00 (Hardcover) | ISBN: 9781524746278
Also available as an eBook and an audiobook
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Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Edward Humes digs into these questions and more in his new book about the killings at the heart of the genetic genealogy revolution. Humes, who won the Pulitzer for reporting on the military and a PEN Award for his juvenile court book, No Matter How Loud I Shout, has written numerous critically acclaimed nonfiction works. His last, Burned, which the Washington Post called “riveting…powerful,” helped free a woman in 2021 after she spent decades behind bars because of flawed forensic science.
The Forever Witness masterfully blends true crime and investigative reporting into a page-turning account of Tanya and Jay’s disappearance, the ground-breaking investigation and trial that followed, and the quirky, gifted cold case detective who never gave up. At the same time, the book chronicles the rise of genetic genealogy, its enormous benefits and risks, and the long refusal of forensic scientists to accept that outsider genealogists like Moore could solve cases that had stumped them for so long. The reporting on this vital story is the most in-depth yet, an inside account of not just the crime, but the dawn of a new age of DNA-based crimefighting powered by volunteers, hobbyists, and citizen scientists. Today, police welcome the breakthrough and what it could mean for the 200,000 unsolved murders on the books. But there’s another side of the story, too: how genetic genealogy can lead to a slippery slope. The same unregulated methods that put Tanya and Jay’s killer behind bars can also threaten the privacy and security of us all.
Through extensive interviews, testimony, and police files, The Forever Witness paints unforgettable portraits of the victims and their families, as well as new revelations about the man charged with the murders, William Earl Talbott II.
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Detective Jim Scharf is one the most memorable characters in The Forever Witness – a cop for the ages, who has arrested one violent criminal after another in more than forty years on the job, yet never fired his weapon in the field.
And there’s CeCe Moore, citizen scientist and cold case savant, who went from forensic outcast to national treasure after solving an incredible 200 crimes with genetic genealogy—with more in the works. She isn’t alone: The Golden State Killer was found with genetic genealogy, and use of this investigative tool is expanding rapidly, even as attempts to create laws that balance public safety with personal privacy are only just getting started.
In an era of diminished privacy, rampant identify theft, and ever-more powerful DNA databases, The Forever Witness is a haunting, dramatic, and compulsive read for true crime lovers and anyone interested in how we can use our collective resources to solve cold cases and bring closure to victims and their families.
What People Are Saying About The Forever Witness
“Fans of Michelle McNamara’s acclaimed I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” should clear their schedules, because Edward Humes’ riveting account is nearly impossible to put down… Heartbreaking as well as heart pounding... The Forever Witness has earned a well-deserved place among top-notch true crime.”
— Starred Review at BookPage
“Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist turned narrative nonfiction writer Humes (Burned, 2019) returns to true crime in this engrossing story of a double murder and the genetic genealogy technique that helped solve it decades later. Humes' writing is suspenseful yet also journalistic, providing fascinating details about the case, technological advances in police work, and genetic genealogy. A winner for any fan of true crime.”
— Kate Sexton, in her Starred Review at Booklist
“The Forever Witness is a suspenseful, riveting true crime book that combines great storytelling, cold case investigations, technological advances, and genetic genealogy in a captivating crime read.… This story is startling, horrifying, thought provoking, and emotional. Those that enjoy well-written and suspenseful true crime and books involving genealogy or DNA will likely find this an amazing story.”
— Pam Guynn at Mystery & Suspense Magazine
“Cold case books like I'll Be Gone in the Dark have been hugely appealing to readers who are interested in the cutting edge of the science behind crime investigation—and the thorny issues raised—and they should place The Forever Witness on the shelf right next to Michelle McNamara’s classic… This is a smartly written book that offers hope to past victims while also providing an optimistic glimpse at the future of forensic science.”
— “Great new reads for true crime junkies,” Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
“This stellar true crime account… matches taut prose with assured storytelling. This fascinating look at how technology has revolutionized crime solving is must reading.”
—Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review
“Heartbreaking…. An excellent addition any true crime collection, this one is sure to intrigue readers who are interested in delving deeper into the hows and whys of solving cold cases.”
— Library Journal
“Pulitzer Prize-winner Humes (“Burned,” “Mean Justice”) examines how genealogy, combined with DNA analysis, solved the 1980s murder of a young couple, Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook, in Washington state. But in detailing the steps that led to a conviction, he also asks questions about privacy: To whom does genetic material belong, and when should it be admitted as evidence, if at all?”
— Bethanne Patrick, 10 Books to Add to Your November Reading List, LA Times
“For readers of true crime written by journalists, this merges a double murder case that went unsolved for years with the rise of genealogy companies that allow anyone to submit DNA, and privacy laws. What if all of the DNA submitted could solve a chunk of unsolved crimes that have evidence in storage awaiting DNA to compare to? What are the ethics behind this?”
— Jamie Canaves, BookRiot
“A well-paced true-crime procedural that offers new twists on old methods of police work.”
— Kirkus
"Some detectives never give up, and in this expert retelling, you'll follow Jim Scharf as he attempts to crack the coldest of cases: A golden young couple abducted and murdered in Washington state in 1987, with almost no clues left behind. This book is that rare thing, terrifying true crime told with a beating heart."
— Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator
"In this brilliantly told, addictively readable book, Edward Humes reminds us that the term ‘cold case’ is misleading, that unsolved murders simmer for decades with angry life and grief and the long-shadow of justice denied. And he also reminds us to hope that the answers to our most stubborn mysteries can yet be found if we simply refuse to give up on them."
— Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poisoner's Handbook
"A story within a story within a story--once you think you know what The Forever Witness by Edward Humes is about, Humes takes you deeper… Layered and informative, compassionate and analytical, this book picks up where Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark leaves off, explaining the miracle that is genetic genealogy as well as the ethical quagmire that surrounds it, while also offering a dignified eulogy to two lives violently, monstrously cut short."
— Rachel Rear, author of Catch the Sparrow
Top-notch, must-read true crime. Edward Humes has crafted a brilliant and riveting account of a haunting cold case, a relentless detective, and the birth of a cutting-edge forensic tool.
—Dean Jobb, author of The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream and Empire of Deception
“The Forever Witness is one of the best true-crime books I’ve ever read—a riveting page-turner that also made me so much smarter. With his deep and empathetic reporting, Humes manages to illuminate both the vivid history of a cold case and the complex future of criminology and genealogy.”
— Eli Saslow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Rising Out of Hatred and Voices From the Pandemic
"Ed Humes is not a fancy writer, and I mean that as a compliment. He does not write for the applause of literary reviewers or book critics. He writes for smart readers. He is a gifted storyteller, an absolute master of the narrative. The Forever Witness, the story of a kidnapping and murder, seizes you on the first page and holds you captive until the end."
— Gene Weingarten, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for feature writing, Washington Post journalist and author of One Day
“The Forever Witness is a remarkable achievement in true crime reporting, as Edward Humes brilliantly guides readers through a cold case investigation that’s smart, suspenseful, and on the cutting edge of forensic science. This book will keep you reading well into the night.”
— Gilbert King, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Beneath a Ruthless Sun
“The Forever Witness is a nuanced examination of genetic genealogy, told through the wrenching, personal story of a horrific double murder left unsolved for decades. Humes approaches his subject with intelligence and probing curiosity, and the result is a fascinating study of the newest frontiers in information and DNA science.”
—Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay, winner of the LA Times Book Prize and California Book Award