Placer County Cold Case Foundation

11/02/2026

CELEBRATING OUR FIRST YEAR

Honoring Victims. Restoring Identities. Seeking Justice.

One year ago, the Placer County Cold Case Foundation was established with a simple but important mission: To help bring answers to families who have waited far too long for justice and closure.

As we celebrate our first anniversary, we are encouraged by the progress being made in Placer County's cold case investigations.

And what a remarkable year it has been!

🔹 JUSTICE FOR CINDY WANNER — AFTER NEARLY 35 YEARS!

One of the most significant developments was the breakthrough in the 1991 kidnapping and murder of Cindy Wanner in Granite Bay. Through the determination of investigators and advances in DNA technology, a suspect was identified and arrested in April 2026. James Lawhead Jr. subsequently pleaded guilty to her murder.

For Cindy's family, who waited nearly 35 years for answers, this represents an extraordinary step toward justice. It is a powerful reminder that even after decades, cold cases can be solved.

🔹 RESTORING IDENTITIES

Advances in forensic technology have also helped identify individuals whose remains went unidentified for many years, including Zania (Zenia) Williams, whose remains were discovered in Foresthill in 2001 and identified in 2025.

🔹 RENEWED HOPE FOR UNSOLVED CASES

Investigators continue to pursue answers in cases such as those of Cherilyn Hawkley and Glenn Whitten. These individuals and their families have not been forgotten.

🔹 MORE THAN 80 COLD CASES STILL NEED ATTENTION

Placer County has more than 80 cold cases involving homicides, missing persons, and unidentified remains. Each represents a person whose life matters and a family deserving answers.

OUR FOUNDATION'S ROLE

The Placer County Cold Case Foundation was created to support the dedicated work of the Placer County Sheriff's Office and its investigative partners by helping provide financial resources for advanced DNA testing, forensic analysis, and other investigative needs.

These technologies can be expensive, sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars for a single case.

The Wanner breakthrough demonstrates why continued investment in cold case investigations is so important.

NOW WE ASK FOR YOUR HELP! ❤️

As we begin our second year, we ask our friends, neighbors, businesses, and community members to join us in this important mission.

Your donation, whether large or small, can help provide the resources necessary to pursue the next breakthrough.

PLEASE VISIT: www.placercoldcase.org

Learn about our mission, read about the cases, and make a tax-deductible donation.

To everyone who has supported the Foundation during our first year, we extend our sincere appreciation.

We cannot change the past. But together, we can help bring answers, accountability, and hope for the future.

10/08/2026

The Rotary Club of Roseville featured PCSO Lt. Tyler Neher at their weekly luncheon today at Randy Peters Event Center to share information regarding the Placer County Cold Case Foundation. Members heard about various cold cases either solved or currently under investigation, the high-tech world of DNA, Genealogy, DNA Familial Research, as well as the need and mission of the Foundation.

The Foundation seeks to educate the community about this important topic and how they can be involved in solving the 80-90 cold cases in Placer County.

For more information, you are invited to learn more at: www.placercoldcase.org

09/01/2026

SEPTEMBER IS COLD CASE MONTH!

For some families, the passage of time does not bring answers.
Years—even decades—may pass, but the questions remain:
What happened? Who was responsible? Will we ever know the truth?

The Placer County Cold Case Foundation exists to help find those answers.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, the Foundation provides funding for advanced DNA and forensic testing, investigative resources, and other tools that can help breathe new life into cases that have gone cold.

And that support is making a difference.

New technology is allowing old evidence to be examined in ways that weren't possible years ago. New leads are being developed. Unidentified victims can finally be given their names back. And families who have waited far too long may finally receive the answers they deserve.

A case may be cold. Our commitment is not.

During Cold Case Month, please help us continue this important work.

🔎 Learn about our mission.
🕯️ Remember the victims.
❤️ Support their families.
💙 Help fund the search for answers.

Every donation gives investigators another opportunity to pursue the truth. Learn more or donate today at:

www.PlacerColdCase.org

Please SHARE this post. Someone you know may become part of the reason a family finally gets an answer.

And always remember......

08/27/2026

The Placer County Cold Case Foundation wants to thank the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center Team for their outstanding work in the efforts to identify this unidentified John Doe from 1994 - now identified as George Krusely.

It takes a "COMMUNITY" to come together to solve these cases!

YOU can assist the Foundation in making this possible by donating today!

For more information please contact us at: www.placercoldcase.org

The Ramapo College IGG Center and the Placer County Sheriff's Office announce the identification of skeletal remains found in 1994 as George Krusely. Read more about this identification here: https://www.ramapo.edu/news/press-releases/new-jersey-college-helps-id-human-remains-in-1994-california-cold-case/

08/27/2026

𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝
The Placer County Cold Case Investigations team has identified the remains of a man found in 1994 in Nyack as George Krusely (4/30/1929).

A partial human skull was found by loggers near a campsite at Putt Lake on July 7, 1994. At the time, detectives estimated the campsite had been there for quite some time, potentially upwards of a year. Several items were collected and stored in evidence, including the remains. Due to the limited evidence, a cause of death was never determined.

Krusely was last known to be in California in 1963. It’s unclear how long he had been deceased when his remains were located.

Through extensive DNA testing by the California Department of Justice and Othram Inc., investigators were able to develop a DNA profile from the evidence. That information was then submitted to Ramapo College for Investigative Genetic Genealogy. Staff and students at Ramapo worked tirelessly to trace the genetic information and identify a living descendant of Krusely.

The Lordstown Police Department in Ohio assisted investigators in obtaining a DNA sample from Krusely’s descendant. The sample matched the DNA profile developed from the remains, allowing investigators to confirm that the remains belonged to George Krusely.

“The case was very challenging due to the Croatian and Yugoslavian ancestry of the unidentified,” said Cairenn Binder, director of Ramapo’s IGG Center. “Low representation in accessible DNA databases and limited availability of genealogy records in some populations can make our research more complex.”

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to investigating cold cases and bringing answers to families, no matter how much time has passed.

“I applaud everyone involved in this case for seeing an opportunity to bring a family answers,” said Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo. “No matter how many years pass, everyone deserves answers. The Placer County Cold Case Unit is proving that advances in technology can make a remarkable difference in solving cases that have gone cold. While answers can’t bring back a loved one, we hope this identification provides some peace and brings an end to the uncertainty that has lasted for decades.”

Advances in DNA testing and genetic genealogy are providing new hope in cases that have gone cold. Testing evidence can be expensive, however, and funding can be a significant barrier to pursuing new leads.

The Placer County Cold Case Foundation was created by community members who want to support families and help keep Placer County cold cases alive. One of the ways the foundation supports the Cold Case Investigations team is through financial assistance that helps offset the costs of submitting evidence for advanced DNA testing.

The Ramapo College IGG Center provides casework services, education programs, and conducts research to advance the field of investigative genetic genealogy.

To learn more about the Placer County Cold Case Foundation and its work supporting cold case investigations, visit placercoldcase.org. To learn more about the work of the Ramapo College IGG Center, visit ramapo.edu/igg.

Hope never grows cold.

07/14/2026

07/03/2026

We want to share this ABC10 news article with you.

Anyone who has ANY information regarding this cold case is invited to call the Placer County Cold Case Tipline at: 530-889-7830.

A man’s body was found bound and submerged in a Placer County irrigation canal nearly 5 years ago. The Sheriff’s Office considers it cold. The family wants answers.

06/17/2026

More than three decades after the abduction and killing of a Granite Bay mother shocked Placer County, the man accused of the crime has pleaded guilty and agreed to spend the rest of his life in prison.

06/16/2026

[𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂] 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙅𝙧. 𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 34-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧-𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚

ROSEVILLE, Calif. -- On June 16, 2026, James Lawhead Jr. entered a plea of guilty to the murder and kidnapping of a local woman and admitted the special circumstance allegations that the murder occurred during the commission of a kidnapping and a r**e. As part of the resolution, Lawhead also admitted an independent count of kidnapping, agreed to waive his appellate rights, and accepted a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The conviction brings a measure of accountability to one of the most notorious cold cases in Placer County history.

On Nov. 25, 1991, the victim was abducted from a Granite Bay residence while caring for her 11-month-old. Her child was left behind in a highchair, while the victim was forcibly taken from the home. Three weeks later, her body was discovered in a remote area near Foresthill. The case remained unsolved for more than three decades despite extensive investigative efforts.

This swift conviction is the result of dedicated investigative work by the Placer County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit, a partnership that includes a dedicated investigator from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 14 in Department 20 at 8:30 a.m.

05/05/2026