DNA testing, genealogy tools help solve 1980 Pa. cold case murder
WOLF CREEK, Pa. - Pennsylvania state police say they have solved the slaying of a Chicago man whose burning body was found 42 years ago near Interstate 80 in a northwestern Pennsylvania town.
Edwin Rodriguez was identified through the use of DNA testing and genealogy tools.
He was 18 when he and a family friend, Nestor Quintanal, left Chicago for Florida in the fall of 1980, and Rodriguez’s family never heard from him again.
His burning body was found Nov. 6, 1980, near Interstate 80 in Wolf Creek.
Authorities said Quintanal — who died in Florida in 2002 at the age of 71 — is believed to have killed Rodriguez.
A possible motive for the killing was not disclosed.