Rare clue at Minneapolis crime scene points to a barefoot killer

It was a grisly scene when police arrived at a Minneapolis house advanced on June 13, 1993, to analyze the homicide of 35-year-old Jeanie Childs. Her physique was discovered partially beneath her mattress, her bed room was in disarray, and there was blood spatter throughout the partitions and flooring. Childs had been stabbed greater than 60 occasions. As investigators tried to piece collectively what unfolded, they discovered a uncommon clue within the bed room: bloody, naked footprints.

“That drew my consideration straight away … I imply, wow,” Bart Epstein, a retired forensic scientist, informed “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty in “The Footprint,” now streaming on Paramount+. “You do not see this at crime scenes on the whole, naked toes which have stepped in blood,” mentioned Epstein.

Investigators knew the footprints needed to belong to Childs’ killer as a result of she was carrying socks on the time of her loss of life. These footprints needed to have been left there after the perpetrator stepped in her moist blood after the homicide. Investigators documented and photographed the footprints.

“So the footprints, past being one thing that may have a tendency to point out guilt, additionally was essential to point out to clear individuals who may need been beneath any suspicion,” mentioned retired FBI agent Chris Boeckers, who would later be part of the investigation.

In response to the case file, investigators in contrast the footprints left on the crime scene to a number of folks, together with a person named Arthur Grey, whom Childs lived with on the time of her homicide. In response to police stories, authorities discovered hairs caught to Childs’ left hand and a kind of hairs matched Grey.

However Boeckers says the case towards Grey began to disintegrate fairly shortly. “He had a extremely strong alibi that he was out of city that weekend that was corroborated by others.” Grey, who loved driving bikes, informed authorities he was in Milwaukee. Forensic scientists additionally examined Grey’s footprints and decided he didn’t go away these footprints on the crime scene.

Days become years after which a long time with out discovering the person who left these footprints. In 2015, forensic scientist Andrea Feia, who was requested to do DNA testing on gadgets collected on the crime scene, decided there was an unknown DNA profile that saved repeating itself. It was discovered on the comforter, a towel, a washcloth, a T-shirt and on the lavatory sink.

Investigators then turned to investigative genetic family tree for solutions. A forensic genealogist submitted the unknown DNA profile to family tree web sites. “The forensic genealogist indicated she had a match to probably two brothers right here in Minnesota,” Boeckers mentioned. A kind of brothers was businessman and hockey dad Jerry Westrom.

Investigators have been anxious to verify that the unknown crime scene DNA was certainly Westrom’s, however to do this, they wanted to trace him down. In January 2019, investigators adopted Westrom to his daughter’s faculty hockey recreation in Wisconsin and obtained a serviette and meals container he had used after consuming on the enviornment. They took the gadgets to the lab for testing and the outcomes revealed there was a match.

The next month, in February 2019, Westrom was arrested for the homicide of Childs. Throughout his police interview, Westrom denied being on the house and figuring out Childs. The following day, authorities collected his footprints for comparability.

Though Westrom’s DNA was on the scene, it was essential to verify the footprints belonged to him as a result of there was different male DNA discovered at Childs’ house that didn’t belong to Westrom.

Mark Ulrick, a supervisor with the Minneapolis Police Forensic Division, examined the footprints. “In Minnesota right here, persons are not committing crimes numerous occasions with the socks and footwear off,” he informed “48 Hours.” He says he targeted on the friction ridge pores and skin — the association of ridges and furrows — distinctive to each particular person. “Friction ridge pores and skin is discovered on … your fingers, your palms, and the soles of your toes,” Ulrick defined. Throughout his examination, he in contrast the unknown footprints to Westrom’s prints and to these of alternate suspects.

Westrom’s protection workforce employed its personal forensic scientist, Alicia McCarthy, to confirm Ulrick’s work. What would the specialists conclude concerning the footprints? Watch “The Footprint” Saturday, Could 17 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.