I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

The story of an amateur detective who helped solve a notorious cold case, altering the field of criminology in the process.

New Zealand–born Rae-Venter became an investigative genealogist purely by accident. Having just concluded a lengthy career as a patent attorney, the author honed an innate puzzle-solving disposition with a “postretirement hobby” of volunteering as a genetic genealogist working with adoptees. In 2017, her diligent work and background experience in biotechnology caught the attention of California cold-case investigator Paul Holes, who requested her assistance in the search to identify the Golden State Killer. Using revolutionary new techniques, including DNA genotyping, Rae-Venter scrutinized the details of the killer’s “rape-and-killing spree that spanned the twelve years between 1974 and 1986.” The author familiarizes readers with several other dauntingly complex, engrossing cold cases—e.g., that of Lisa Jensen, who was abducted by a paternal imposter as a child; the grisly quadruple-victim Bear Brook murders—to which she contributed before helping crack the riveting GSK case. Successfully overcoming cardiac issues, Rae-Venter devoted herself to the investigation, noting how the killer’s sadistic “reign of terror and mayhem” sunk her into “some very dark places, darker than anywhere I had been before.” Her chronicle is a solid testament to the evolution of genetic forensic science and how it has made investigators more effective in apprehending criminals, both from cold cases and those in real time. It’s also an examination of corrupted humanity gone haywire and the thrill and release of an abuser being brought to justice. Rae-Venter was eventually encouraged by her son to rescind her request for anonymity (initiated for fear of her safety) and go public with her pivotal role in identifying and apprehending Joseph James DeAngelo as the GSK. In doing so, the author demonstrated the importance of forensic DNA testing as a consequential game-changer in criminal justice.

Fascinating true-crime reportage infused with cinematic suspense.