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DNA sample leads to charges in 1981 cold case murder in Indiana

DNA evidence leads to man's arrest in 1981 cold case murder in Indiana
DNA evidence leads to man's arrest in 1981 cold case murder in Indiana 00:29

CHICAGO (CBS) — A father-son detective team in Griffith, Indiana, solved a 1981 cold case with the help of technology that wasn't around when the murder happened.

Gregory Thurson was charged with the murder of 51-year-old John Blaylock. 

In 2018, a Griffith police detective with help of his dad, a retired Griffith detective, looked into the cold case.

 They sent blood samples found at the scene to the Indiana State Police, and a DNA profile was developed. 

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Griffith Police Department

There was no match until police outsourced the sample to a private genetic genealogy investigative team. 

The genetic investigator identified the familial match between the two brothers. One gave a DNA sample to detectives, and it was not a match. This then identified his brother, Thurston, as the suspect.

Police arrested Thurson in Eugene, Oregon. He was placed into custody in the Lake County Jail. 

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