Overview

• Forensic genealogy extracted a DNA profile from just a few millimeters of hair to trace relatives and confirm the boy’s identity
• Exhumation and DNA testing of Vera Bryant’s remains verified her as Carl’s mother and led investigators to suspect her and James Hedgepeth
• Detectives believe Carl’s six-month-old brother was killed at the same time and discarded along the family’s 1972 travel route
• Fairfax County police have reopened their twin homicide investigation and are urging the public to submit tips to locate the missing infant’s remains
• The resolution of this case highlights how advanced DNA sequencing and genetic genealogy can close decades-old cold cases