Summary
In October 2005, 42-year-old Suzanna Alvarado’s body was found on the side of Route 88 in Westport, Massachusetts. Westport is located in Bristol County and is part of Massachusetts’ South Coast region. An autopsy was performed where it was determined that Suzanna, a reside of nearby New Bedford, had been beaten and strangled; her death was ruled as a homicide. The person responsible for Suzanna Alvarado’s death was not known.
Evidence from the crime scene was collected and an STR profile was developed using traditional DNA testing. This profile was entered into CODIS, but there was no match to a known individual. In 2020, fifteen years after the murder of Alvarado, the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit performed a forensic review of the case in hopes that advances in forensic DNA testing could assist in the identification of the person responsible for the murder of Suzanna Alvarado.
In 2022, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy could help generate new leads and assist in the identification of the unknown suspect. The Bristol District Attorney's Office secured funding from Season of Justice and submitted evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas.Season of Justice is a non-profit organization dedicated to funding DNA testing on unsolved cold case homicides. They provide funding to law enforcement agencies nationwide to conduct advanced testing in homicide, sexual assault, and Jane/John Doe cases where the victim's body or the suspect is unidentified, and DNA is the only investigative option.
Othram scientists successfully used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown suspect. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team then used this profile to conduct genealogy research, ultimately providing new investigative leads to law enforcement.
Using these leads, a follow-up investigation was conducted leading investigators to potential relatives of the suspect, a man who left DNA evidence at the crime scene in 2005. On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, 62-year-old Simao Farias was arrested after being indicted by a grand jury in the killing of Suzanna Alvarado. Farias was arraigned on Thursday, December 18, 2024. Updates to the case will be provided as they become available.
The identification of Suzanna Alvarado's killer represents the 7th case in the State of Massachusetts where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. To read about other Massachusetts cases, visit DNASolves.
Michael Vogen
Director of Case Management
Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.