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She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
CNN via MSN ^ | December 14, 2024 | Taylor Galgano

Posted on 12/15/2024 8:12:25 AM PST by DoodleBob

It was the middle of Jenna Gerwatowski’s workday at the local flower shop in Newberry, Michigan, when she got a call from an unknown number.

The now 23-year-old doesn’t usually answer unknown calls, but says she decided to pick this one up in May 2022.

To her surprise, it was a detective from the Michigan state police.

“He was like, ‘Have you heard of the Baby Garnet case?’” Jenna told CNN.

Jenna had heard of it. In 1997, a deceased infant was found in a campground pit toilet at the Garnet Lake Campground – right where Jenna grew up. …The case went cold, and the “Baby Garnet” case became a known murder mystery in Jenna’s small town for decades.

“Your DNA was a match,” Jenna says the detective on the phone told her. She was related to the dead infant from 1997.

Jenna was in shock. The detective sounded sure, Jenna said, but she wondered how he had even obtained her DNA.

About six months earlier, her friend had gotten a FamilyTreeDNA test for Christmas and Jenna decided to order her own. DNA from other Baby Garnet relatives led detectives to Jenna’s FamilyTreeDNA kit, according to court documents.

An analysis of Jenna’s DNA kit showed she was the half-niece to Baby Garnet, according to court records.

On June 1, 2022, detectives spoke with her mother, Kara, who agreed to provide her DNA. Kara was the half-sister of Baby Garnet, according to court records.

Kara, now 42, had not spoken with her mother, Nancy Gerwatowski, since she was 18 because they had a bad relationship, and Jenna had never met her grandmother. Regardless, both were shocked Nancy, who was living in Wyoming when police questioned her, would be the one behind their town mystery.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: babygarnet; coldcase; dna; familytreedna; garnetlake; jennagerwatowski; michigan; nancygerwatowski; newberry; taylorgalgano; wyoming
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To: Aria

How exciting! I love that kind of shi....stuff. I swear I’m related to some English Royalty because I’ve always felt some sort of nostalgia about it. Haven’t found it yet but it’s fun to keep trying.


61 posted on 12/15/2024 10:33:29 AM PST by kelly4c
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To: rktman

I know what you mean, if I’d known about this DNA bs, I’d never have gone on that killing spree.


62 posted on 12/15/2024 10:36:52 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Politics do not make strange bedfellows, and the enemy of your enemy may still be your enemy.)
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Former Upper Peninsula Woman to Stand Trial for 1997 Murder of ‘Baby Garnet’
May 14, 2024
https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2024/05/14/former-upper-peninsula-woman-to-stand-trial-for-1997-murder-of-baby-garnet


63 posted on 12/15/2024 10:42:12 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Politics do not make strange bedfellows, and the enemy of your enemy may still be your enemy.)
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To: rktman
Sometimes the police will submit the DNA under a fake account just to see if it matches anyone.

-PJ

64 posted on 12/15/2024 10:46:16 AM PST by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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To: rktman
Uh, just curious, does ancestry.com or 23&me commonly/routinely share ‘DNA’ submissions with LEO? Not that I have anything to hide.

I have nothing to hide criminally but I feel it's only a matter of time before it gets used to make decisions on, for example, health insurance ('you have this gene, so you are not insurable and neither is anyone on your family', for example).

I don't want the world pawing through my DNA so I will never take one of those tests, just in principle.

65 posted on 12/15/2024 11:02:31 AM PST by pepsi_junkie ("We want no Gestapo or Secret Police. F. B. I. is tending in that direction." - Harry S Truman)
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To: rktman

I think it was early to mid 90’s when my attorney dad told all of us kids to not volunteer dna for anything.


66 posted on 12/15/2024 11:06:01 AM PST by RebelTXRose (Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for us! PRAY THE ROSARY!later)
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To: MayflowerMadam

“The dope VOLUNTARILY decided to GIVE her DNA to a genealogy organization.”

What is stupid about it? How does your DNA help the government to oppress you? If I had a cousin who murdered someone, and my DNA helped catch him...GREAT!

BTW - ex-military here. The government has had my DNA for ages. And the DNA of all my kids, since they all spent time in the military.


67 posted on 12/15/2024 11:15:46 AM PST by Mr Rogers
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To: Mr Rogers

“How does your DNA help the government to oppress you? If I had a cousin who murdered someone, and my DNA helped catch him...GREAT!”

I agree with you on that. My issue is that DNA can be, and has been, planted. Fingerprints have been planted to incriminate at least one innocent person.

It wasn’t done by a cop, but by an employee in an evidence room. She wanted to set up someone for a murder. (I watch too much true crime.)

My opinion is that the less of “me” floating around out there, the better.


68 posted on 12/15/2024 11:33:29 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: Gay State Conservative

That would be an interesting court order. A shotgun approach.


69 posted on 12/15/2024 11:38:00 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
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To: DoodleBob

Mark


70 posted on 12/15/2024 11:39:14 AM PST by sport
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To: Mr Rogers

“BTW - ex-military here. The government has had my DNA for ages. And the DNA of all my kids, since they all spent time in the military.”

How nice for you. But what does that have to do with any of this? It was part of your job; you had no choice.

Idiots who willingly give up the most personal and private essence of their lives is just more of the social-media, “look-at-me” mindset. IMO


71 posted on 12/15/2024 11:39:17 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: rktman

The prisons are full of those who, “had nothing to hide”, or “I haven’t done anything , so, go ahead and search my...... car or house”.


72 posted on 12/15/2024 11:43:34 AM PST by sport
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To: sport

No cavity left untouched? Yikes!


73 posted on 12/15/2024 12:05:11 PM PST by rktman (Destroy America from within ? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this💩? 🚫💉! 🇮🇱👍!)
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To: DoodleBob

It’s called famial DNA, company’s who work with law inforcment to solve cold cases,
Freezers need to stop the knee jerk reaction about things.


74 posted on 12/15/2024 12:13:10 PM PST by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
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To: DoodleBob

When a company in Utah was selling DNA kits cheap guess where the records went?.

Doctors also mum.


75 posted on 12/15/2024 12:35:22 PM PST by Vaduz
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To: MayflowerMadam

“Idiots who willingly give up the most personal and private essence of their lives...”

Your DNA? Just what incredible secrets does your DNA possess? Why is it stupid to let law enforcement find out about your DNA? Or doctors?


76 posted on 12/15/2024 12:47:09 PM PST by Mr Rogers
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To: DoodleBob

It seems foolish to me that people willingly give their dna to government connected corporations. Sure you MAY be innocent but the feds will be happy to plant dna evidence from these samples when you become an enemy of the state. Or just fabricate matches outright.


77 posted on 12/15/2024 12:49:18 PM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: DoodleBob

Can a baby suffocate while the umbilical cord is attached?


78 posted on 12/15/2024 12:55:36 PM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets
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To: Mr Rogers

I’m sorry that your reading comprehension skills are lacking. Buh-bye!


79 posted on 12/15/2024 2:46:18 PM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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To: Mr Rogers

I’m sorry that your reading comprehension skills are lacking. Buh-bye!


80 posted on 12/15/2024 2:46:19 PM PST by MayflowerMadam (It's hard not to celebrate the fall of bad people. - Bongino)
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