Overview
- Detective Matt Hutchison reopened the 1979 Estella Mena and 1982 Karen Stitt killings, pushing fresh testing and leads after decades of silence.
- Investigators used genetic genealogy to narrow Stitt’s killer to four brothers, then confirmed Gary Ramirez through DNA covertly collected from a daughter’s discarded trash.
- Ramirez pleaded no contest in 2025 to first-degree murder in Stitt’s case and received 25 years to life, with no separate sexual assault charge filed.
- Blood on Mena’s shoe produced a 2023 genetic match to Samuel Silva, who died in a Colorado prison in 2008, leaving the case identified but not prosecutable.
- 20/20’s Badass Detective, reported by John Quiñones, airs Jan. 9 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC with streaming the next day on Hulu and Disney+, and underscores the value of preserved evidence and the investigative toll.