Crime-Solving Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore Stars in New ABC Series, ‘The Genetic Detective’ – PEOPLE

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Starting May 19, ABC’s new primetime series “The Genetic Detective” shows how CeCe Moore tracks down criminals using state-of-the-art DNA technology

Genetic supersleuth CeCe Moore has solved some of the country’s most notorious cold cases from the comfort of her home.

Starting Tuesday, May 19, the renowned investigative genetic genealogist will show viewers exactly how she solves decades-old murder cases on ABC News’ new primetime series, The Genetic Detective.

Airing on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 p.m. ET, the series follows Moore, the Chief Genetic Genealogist at Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia, and her team, who’ve helped solve more than 100 cold cases using crime scene DNA, state-of-the-art technology and Moore’s genealogy tracking skills.

Moore’s work has helped revolutionize how crimes are now solved.

Using DNA left by an unknown suspect at a crime scene and collected by members of law enforcement, Moore and her team track down the suspect’s identity using DNA voluntarily submitted by relatives to public genealogy databases.

Her passion began as a hobby when she started researching her own family tree. She honed her skills over the years by helping adoptees find their birth families.

“I had a growing passion for genetic genealogy and I recognized its power very early on,” says Moore.

But in 2010, there was no such thing as a “professional” genetic genealogist, she says.

“So I had to blaze my own trail in order to make this my full-time career.”

“I knew the potential these techniques had for solving mysteries — really, for any type of human identification. Whether it is an adoptee looking to find their birth parents or helping law enforcement track down a potential suspect, this process provides answers in a new way and helps a family move beyond something that’s painful or has been burdening them.”

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In the series premiere of The Genetic Detective, Moore takes viewers through her first-ever cold case — the brutal 1987 murders of young Canadian couple Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg in Seattle.

The couple vanished after driving to Seattle to pick up a part for Cook’s father’s business.

Their bodies were later found miles apart, bound and gagged. Van Cuylenborg had been shot and Cook had been beaten and strangled.

With no leads and few clues to go on, the case went cold for 30 years until Moore came into the picture.

The Genetic Detective will also examine the murder of 8-year-old April Tinsley in Fort Wayne, Indiana; mother and daughter Sherri and Megan Scherer in New Madrid, Missouri; the murder of Angie Dodge in Idaho Falls, Idaho; the case of the Ramsey Street Rapist in Fayetteville, N.C.; and the rape of 79-year-old Carla Brooks in St. George, Utah.

Starting May 19, The Genetic Detective airs Tuesdays on ABC from 10 to 11 p.m. ET.