DNA Breakthrough Solves 1988 Murder of Tracy Whitney

The killer, identified as John Guillot Jr., died in 2022 before being linked to the crime through forensic genealogy.

Tracy Whitney, an 18-year-old from Federal Way, Washington, was found murdered in August 1988 near the Puyallup and White rivers after being strangled and sexually assaulted.
Despite DNA evidence collected at the time, the case went cold for decades as no matches were found in national databases like CODIS.
In 2022, a grant enabled Pierce County detectives to use forensic genealogy, which identified John Guillot Jr. as the suspect through DNA matches with his biological son.
Guillot, who had no known connection to Whitney, died of cancer in January 2022, eight months before being linked to the crime, preventing any prosecution.
Whitney's family expressed bittersweet relief at the resolution but called for changes in DNA database policies to help solve other potential cases tied to Guillot.