Richy Maria Jacob
‘The Genetic Detective’ follows the breakthrough CeCe Moore has been able to make in several cold cases that were shelved due to lack of new leads. These cases that often go back in time, get difficult to be solved as time accumulates on it. But genetic genealogy testing has now made a profound change in solving such cases.
April Tinsley’s murder was a brutal blow to the whole of Indiana, wherein the 8-year-old had been brutally raped and strangled to death. In the aftermath of the crime, both her family and the community didn’t see any new leads until 2018, after which John D. Miller was identified to be the killer.
Who is John D. Miller?
John D. Miller was found to be the person who not only abducted April Tinsley but also raped and strangled her to death. He was a former Walmart employee, who was 59 years old when he was charged with the crime. In 2018, the Fort Wayne Police Department sent his DNA sample to Parabon Nanolabs, where CeCe Moore used genetic genealogy to find out the suspected killer’s relatives. In July that year, the list of suspects was narrowed down to two brothers, one of them being Miller, who resided in Grabill, Indiana. When the case investigators asked about him to his neighbors, they allegedly posited him as a secluded individual with a bad temper. The police officers retrieved used condoms from his trash to see if it was a match with the sample they had. And ultimately, the DNA sample they collected matched with that of Miller, giving more than sufficient evidence to prove that Miller was the one who had raped and killed April.
In 2018, when police officers confronted him, he allegedly knew why they were there. In any case, during the interrogation, he confessed to abducting and raping Tinsley, after which he allegedly choked her to death. He then stated that he also sodomized her, after which he dumped her body in the ditch where it was found. He was then charged with confinement, child molestation, and murder. In the hearing in July 2018, he pleaded not guilty but he changed his stance to guilty in December that year. Even though his trial was scheduled for February 2019, it was later rescheduled. April’s family wanted the death penalty for Miller, but he was sentenced to 80 years in prison in December 2018. After his sentencing, April’s mother said, “ April really didn’t, you know, got the justice that she deserves but right now, it’s a start but we’re never gonna forget her. Well, her name is gonna be out there because we’re still gonna fight.”
Where is John D. Miller Now?
At present, John D. Miller is serving his prison sentence in New Castle Correctional Facility, Indiana. The earliest he can be released is on July 2058, by which time he will be 99 years old. (Feature Image Credit: Wane 15 News)
Read More: Where is April Tinsley’s Mother Today?
