DNA Identifies 4-Year-Old Murder Victim After 53 Years Virginia, Pennsylvania

After more than 50 years, police in Fairfax County, Virginia, used advanced DNA testing and forensic genome sequencing to identify a four-year-old boy found dead in 1972 as Carl Matthew Bryant. The breakthrough came from a tiny hair sample preserved by the original detective, which was analyzed by Astrea Forensics, a company able to build a DNA profile from just millimeters of hair. Genetic genealogy linked Carl to a Philadelphia family, revealing his mother Vera Bryant and her boyfriend James Hedgepeth had traveled to Virginia with Carl and his infant brother James around the time of the murders. While Carl's body was found under a bridge, James' body remains missing, and detectives suspect both children were killed. Hedgepeth, who had a violent criminal history and was convicted of an unrelated murder, is believed to have been involved in the killings. Authorities continue to seek public information to further understand the circumstances surrounding the deaths.