In January 1979, 16-year-old high school student Kim Bryant was abducted in broad daylight from a Dairy Queen restaurant on North Decatur Boulevard, near U.S. Highway 95. The restaurant was across of Kim's school and Kim had arrived with a friend to the restaurant before it opened. She had been reportedly waiting for a ride from her boyfriend when she vanished. It would be a month later when she was finally found in a desert area near West Charleston Boulevard and South Buffalo Drive. She had been brutally sexually assaulted and murdered.
Over the years, a lengthy investigation, spanning decades, ensued and all available investigative leads were exhausted. Although there various theories and persons of interest, the case ultimately stalled and Kim's killer remained undiscovered. More recently, an STR profile was generated from crime DNA evidence and revealed an unknown male (not found in CODIS), but the profile was valuable in excluding persons of interest.
In 2021, as part of a continued collaboration between LVMPD and Othram, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department worked with Othram to reexamine DNA evidence from the crime scene in hopes that advanced DNA testing might generate new leads in the investigation. Funding assistance was generously provided by Justin Woo, founder of the non-profit organization Vegas Helps.
Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a genealogical profile from the crime scene DNA evidence. The Othram genealogy team used the profile to develop investigative leads that were returned to LVMPD. LVMPD detectives were able to confirm the identity of the suspect in Kim's sexual assault and murder as Johnny Peterson. Peterson died in January 1993. An investigation continues into the case and into Peterson's possible relationship to other crimes in the area.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves. You can view more cases that need help with funding here. Photo credit: Othram.