On July 30, 2022, police announced that they have identified Robert A. Brooks as the lead suspect in the August, 1990 rape and murder of 17-year-old Michelle Koski in Snohomish County, Washington. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Brooks.
Koski’s body was found on August 25, 1990 near a highway in rural Snohomish County. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Her head was bashed in with a piece of concrete.
The FGG investigation was performed by Parabon Nanolabs, with the assistance of genealogist Deb Stone, using a DNA mixture of the victim and perpetrator. It took about 12 months to narrow the list of potential suspects down to a cohort of two brothers.
At the time of the murder, Brooks was 22 and was staying with family a few blocks from Koski’s home and where she was last seen on August 20, 1990. At that time, someone drove her to a hangout for teenagers in Snohomish County. Brooks had been released from prison on August 18 – just two days before Michelle disappeared. His prior convictions have not been reported.
Police state that several suspects were asked to provide their DNA over the years, including Koski’s boyfriend, a local serial rapist, and the friend who drove her to the hangout. All were ruled out as being suspects.
Brooks died from natural causes in 2016 in King County.
Sources:
Cavallier, Andrea. “Family, Friends Hoping for Answers Three Decades After Michelle Koski was Brutally Murdered in Snohomish, Washington.” NBC News, September 4, 2020. Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/family-friends-hoping-answers-three-decades-after-michelle-koski-was-n1239399.
Fox 13 News Staff. “Suspect Identified in 1990 Snohomish County Cold Case Murder.” Fox 13 News Seattle, June 30, 2022. Accessed July 3, 2022. https://www.q13fox.com/news/suspect-identified-in-1990-snohomish-county-cold-case.
Shapiro, Emily. “Genetic Genealogy Identifies Suspect in 1990 Murder of 17-Year-Old Girl.” ABC News, July 1, 2022. Accessed July 3, 2022. https://abcnews.go.com/US/genetic-genealogy-identifies-suspect-1990-murder-17-year/story?id=86067450.
Scott, Hanna. “Snohomish County Cold Case Unit, Genetic Genealogy ID Suspect in 1990 Teen Murder.” My Northwest, July 1, 2022. Accessed July 3, 2022. https://mynorthwest.com/3542195/snohomish-county-cold-case-unit-genetic-genealogy-id-suspect-1990-teen-murder/.