TOLEDO, Ohio — In a potentially pivotal update, the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office has announced that it has received information from Parabon Nanolabs regarding unknown DNA found at the scene of the brutal 2011 murder of Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub.
While the sheriff’s office did not disclose details to 11 Investigates, it has been confirmed that renowned genetic genealogist CeCe Moore has been involved in the case. Moore has collaborated with Parabon on numerous cold cases.
Following our 2021 investigation, Moore reached out to 11 Investigates, expressing her interest in working with the sheriff’s office. Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre accepted her offer, instructing his office to send two DNA samples to the Virginia-based laboratory, a team he had previously worked with as Oregon’s police chief.
Moore’s involvement is noteworthy because she only begins working on a case when there is a match in Parabon’s ancestry databases. Once engaged, she constructs family trees to trace the DNA source.
Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub were murdered in January 2011. Authorities believe multiple suspects forced their way into Straub’s parents’ home in Holland, killing Clarke, 21, and Straub, 20, by suffocating them with bags.
A cigarette found at the crime scene contained DNA from two men, Sam Williams and Cameo Pettaway. Williams is serving a life sentence, while Pettaway’s case was dismissed after a judge ruled insufficient evidence of his guilt.
Over 13 years later, the case remains active due to several unknown DNA samples found on duct tape on the bodies and in a pocket of Clarke’s sweatpants.
Unlike the PCR testing used on the cigarette, Parabon’s sequencing analyzes hundreds or even thousands of markers. Instead of comparing these profiles to existing ones in CODIS, the FBI’s database, they are compared to ancestry databases. A hit triggers involvement from a genetic genealogist.
If Moore identifies the DNA source, it doesn’t necessarily link them to the crime. The DNA might have been transferred during tape production or from an unrelated source. Once the DNA origin is confirmed, detectives will explore whether that person might be a suspect.
The current status of the investigation is unclear, but the sheriff’s department confirmed that detectives are actively working on the case, which remains open.