Naman Shrestha
In the summer of 1993, 35-year-old Jeanie Childs was discovered dead in her apartment. When the news broke out, the entire community was shaken to its core, while grief took over her family and friends. Despite the best efforts from the authorities, the case went cold for decades before advanced DNA technology led them straight to the perpetrator responsible for the killing. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Footprint’ delves deep into the murder and the complicated investigation that ensued. The documentary also features exclusive and in-depth interviews with the loved ones of Jeanie and the officials linked to the case and investigation.
Jeanie Childs Was Found Brutally Murdered Inside Her Apartment in Minnesota
Betty and Eugene Eakman welcomed a little bundle of joy into the world on April 21, 1958, in the form of Jeanne Ann “Jeanie” Childs. Trouble seemed to follow her since early childhood, but through it all, her parents and other loved ones stood by her and loved her unconditionally. By the time she turned 13, Jeanie ran away from her house and found himself working as a sex worker later on in life. At some point, she fell in love with a man named Alfred, who had a daughter named Amber Childs from a previous relationship. After marrying him, Jeanie also became close to Amber and treated her like her own daughter.
Unfortunately, the marriage between Jeanie and Alfred didn’t last long. When it started deteriorating, they parted ways. Not long after, on June 13, 1993, one of her neighbors at the Horn Towers apartment building in Hennepin County, Minnesota, noticed water seeping into his residence. Upon complaining about it, the source of the water flow was determined to be coming from Jeanie’s apartment. There, the 35-year-old sex worker was found dead on the floor of her bedroom with more than 60 stab wounds across her body. When the investigators inspected the gruesome crime scene, they found blood spatter across the bedroom and a bloody, bare footprint belonging to the killer.
DNA Genealogy Played a Crucial Role in the Apprehension of Jeanie Childs’ Killer
As part of the investigation, the detectives tried to find a match to the bloody footprints they found at the crime scene by focusing on several people related to Jeanie Childs, including Arthur Gray, who resided with her at the time of the murder. The police zeroed in on Arthur after they found his hair on her left hand. However, when he provided the authorities with a concrete alibi, he was eliminated as a potential suspect. When the evidence kept leading the detectives to dead ends, the case started to go cold and remained unsolved for decades, until advanced DNA technology came to their rescue.
When an unknown DNA profile was consistent on several items found at the crime scene, such as a washcloth, comforter, a T-shirt, a towel, and on the bathroom sink, the investigators relied on investigative genetic genealogy to provide them with a lead in 2015. With the help of MyHeritage’s DNA test, they were eventually led to two brothers based in Minnesota, one of them being a businessman named Jerry Westrom. Now that they had a potential suspect, they had to confirm if it was actually Jerry’s DNA found at the crime scene. For that, the detectives tracked him down and followed him to his daughter’s college hockey game in Wisconsin in January 2019. They managed to obtain a napkin and a food container that the suspect had used at the arena and thrown in the garbage can.
The Killer Was Finally Brought to Justice
After the items were tested in the lab, his DNA turned out to be a perfect match to the DNA found at the crime scene. With enough evidence against the hockey dad, the police arrested Jerry in February 2019 for the brutal killing of Jeanie Childs. When questioned about the same, he not only denied being in the Horn Towers on the fateful day but also denied knowing her. In order to leave no room for doubt, the detectives also collected his footprints in order to compare them with the ones found at the crime scene. After the analysis, the Minneapolis Police Supervisor of Forensic Science, Mark Ulrick, was certain that they were a match. Jerry was eventually charged with second-degree murder and indicted on first-degree premeditated murder.
In August 2022, Jerry Westrom stood trial for the 1993 murder of Jeanie Childs. After hearing both sides of the coin, the jury deliberated for a couple of hours before reaching a final verdict. On August 25, the 56-year-old businessman was found guilty of premeditated murder in the first degree and intentional murder in the second degree. During his sentencing hearing on September 9, 2022, Jeanie’s mother stated, “I just hope that he can close his eyes at night and see her face every night. That’s how I feel. I want him to suffer. And I really don’t want her being blamed for what happened, because his choice was the wrong choice.” Jerry Westrom was eventually sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
Read More: Jerry Westrom: Where is Jeanie Childs’ Killer Now?
