How DNA from a Piece of Chewing Gum Solved a 26-Year-Old Cold Case
Just days before Christmas in 1992, a beloved elementary school teacher in Pennsylvania was brutally murdered in her own home.
For more than two decades, her killer walked free.
The case of Christy Mirack would haunt investigators and the Lancaster community for years. It seemed like the kind of crime that should have been solved quickly: there was a violent struggle, forensic evidence left behind, and a small community desperate for answers.
But the man responsible remained unidentified for 26 years—until a stunning combination of persistence, technology, and a piece of discarded chewing gum finally exposed the truth.
This is the story behind the case.
A Beloved Teacher
Christy Mirack was exactly the kind of person people remember long after they’re gone.
At 25 years old, she was a sixth-grade teacher at Rohrerstown Elementary School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Friends and colleagues described her as energetic, compassionate, and deeply dedicated to her students.
She loved teaching.
She loved her family.
And she had her whole life ahead of her.
On the morning of December 21, 1992, Christy didn’t show up for work. That was immediately unusual. Teachers don’t simply disappear on the last week before Christmas break. Concerned, coworkers contacted authorities.
When police arrived at Christy’s apartment, they found something far worse than a missed day at work. They found a murder scene.
The Discovery
Inside the apartment, investigators discovered Christy Mirack’s body. She had been brutally beaten, raped, and strangled.
Evidence showed there had been a violent struggle. The apartment was in disarray, indicating she had fought desperately against her attacker. Investigators quickly realized this wasn’t a burglary gone wrong.
This was a personal and extremely violent attack. Despite the brutality of the crime, there was one crucial piece of evidence left behind: DNA from the perpetrator.
In 1992, however, forensic technology was still limited. DNA could be collected, but identifying the person responsible required having a suspect to compare it against. Investigators didn’t have one.
And so the case began to go cold.
A Case That Haunted Lancaster
For years, Christy’s murder lingered in the background of Lancaster County.
The community never forgot. Her family never stopped searching for answers. Investigators periodically revisited the case, hoping advances in technology might one day lead them to the killer. But decades passed. No arrest. No suspect.
Just a DNA profile sitting in evidence storage. Then in the late 2010s, investigators decided to try something new. Something that had already begun solving cold cases across the country.
Genetic genealogy.
A New Technology Changes Everything
Investigators turned to Parabon NanoLabs, a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.
Instead of comparing DNA only to criminal databases, this method looks for family connections through genealogy databases, identifying distant relatives of the unknown suspect.
By building family trees and narrowing possibilities, investigators can often identify a likely suspect—even if that person has never been arrested before. It’s the same type of technology that helped identify the Golden State Killer.
In the Mirack case, the process led investigators toward a man named Raymond Rowe. Rowe was a local DJ known as “DJ Freez.”
At the time of the investigation, he had never been charged with the murder. But detectives needed one thing to confirm their suspicions. They needed his DNA.
The Undercover Operation
In 2018, investigators put together a plan. An undercover officer approached Rowe during a performance at a local high school reunion event. The officer pretended to be interested in hiring him as a DJ and struck up a casual conversation.
During the interaction, Rowe drank from a water bottle and chewed a piece of gum. After the meeting ended, detectives collected the discarded items. Those items contained Rowe’s DNA.
When forensic testing was completed, the results were definitive. The DNA from the water bottle and chewing gum matched the DNA recovered from Christy Mirack’s murder scene decades earlier. After 26 years, investigators finally knew who had killed Christy.
Rowe was arrested in June 2018.
The Trial and Guilty Plea
As the case moved toward trial, the DNA evidence against Rowe was overwhelming.
In 2019, he ultimately pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and related charges.
During sentencing, Christy’s family finally had the opportunity to confront the man responsible for taking her life.
Rowe was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.
For Christy’s family, the conviction brought a sense of justice—but it could never bring Christy back.
Continuing Legal Challenges
Even after his conviction, Rowe has continued to challenge the case.
In the years since his sentencing, he has filed multiple legal motions attempting to withdraw his guilty plea or request additional DNA testing.
Courts have repeatedly reviewed these requests, and the legal process continues to move through the appeals system. Some recent rulings have ordered lower courts to reconsider certain testing requests, though the conviction itself remains intact.
For Christy’s family, these ongoing appeals reopen painful wounds—but they also serve as reminders of the long fight it took to reach justice in the first place.
A Case That Changed Cold Case Investigations
The arrest of Raymond Rowe demonstrated the extraordinary power of modern forensic technology.
Without genetic genealogy—and without the careful investigative work that led to the chewing gum—Christy Mirack’s murder might still be unsolved today.
Instead, her case now stands as an example of how science can bring justice even decades after a crime.
But more importantly, it ensured that Christy herself would never be forgotten.
She wasn’t just a cold case.
She was a daughter, a teacher, a friend, and a person whose life mattered deeply to those who knew her.
Remembering Christy
For the Lancaster community, Christy Mirack’s story is not just about a crime.
It’s about persistence.
It’s about the determination of investigators who refused to give up, and the resilience of a family that waited more than two decades for answers.
And it’s a reminder that even the oldest cases can still be solved.
Sometimes all it takes is time.
And sometimes…
All it takes is a piece of chewing gum.
To listen to Christy’s case, go here Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
If you found the use of Genetic Genealogy in solving this case interesting, you may also enjoy Nancy Anderson’s case, Nancy Anderson Part 1 and Nancy Anderson Part 2. Nancy’s case took decades to solve, and you will never believe who was responsible for her murder. You can find her case here, part one, Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and part two, Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. You can listen to her brother speak with me about her and the process to get her case solved in our interview here, Youtube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Jack Anderson was an incredible guest and I highly recommend listening to his interview.
Another two cases that required genetic genealogy and persistence from investigators is Frozen in Time: Michelle Martinko’s Case, and Christine Franke Part 1 and 2, Christine Franke Part 3 & 4. Both cases may have seemed impossible to solve, but thanks to advances in DNA and the use of genetic genealogy, they were able to get justice.
Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.
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See you in the next episode of Crime Clueless!
Resources:
CNN. (2010, June 24). Nancy Grace: Cold case of Christy Mirack revisited. Police seek tips in teacher’s 1992 slaying – CNN.com
CNN. (2019, January 9). Man sentenced to prison in 1992 cold case murder of teacher Christy Mirack. Killer nabbed by chewed gum and a water bottle apologizes for murdering a teacher as he heads to prison for life | CNN
Fox43 News. (n.d.). Raymond Rowe DNA testing petition denied in Christy Mirack murder case. Man serving life in prison for cold-case murder of Christy Mirack has petition for DNA testing denied in court | fox43.com
Lancaster County Government. (n.d.). District attorney announcement regarding Raymond Rowe case. Well-Known Entertainer Admits Killing Christy Mirack, Will Serve Life in Prison
LancasterOnline. (n.d.). Appeals court ordered to reconsider DJ Freez bid for DNA testing in Christy Mirack murder. https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/appeals-court-ordered-to-reconsider-dj-freez-bid-for-dna-testing-in-christy-mirack-murder/article_c1d3d30c-ef0e-4f20-9d9c-925d78e2245a.html
LancasterOnline. (2021). Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe claims he met Christy Mirack DJing and had affair, testimony in case. Raymond ‘DJ Freez’ Rowe claims he met Christy Mirack DJing, had affair: testimony in his bid to withdraw murder guilty plea | Local News | lancasteronline.com
NBC News. (2019, January 9). DJ convicted in 1992 murder after DNA from water bottle and chewing gum linked him to crime. DJ is convicted of 1992 murder after DNA from water bottle and chewing gum led to arrest
Oxygen. (n.d.). Did DJ kill teacher Christy Mirack before Christmas in 1992? Beloved Teacher Found Slain Right Before Christmas — Who Attacked Her In Broad Daylight? | Oxygen
People. (n.d.). Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe arrested in 1992 rape and murder of teacher Christy Mirack. Wedding DJ Arrested for the Brutal 1992 Rape and Murder of School Teacher Christy Mirack
The Guardian. (2019, January 8). Pennsylvania DJ arrested in 1992 murder after DNA breakthrough. DJ pleads guilty to 1992 murder after relative’s DNA test links him to crime | Pennsylvania | The Guardian
The Washington Post. (2018, June 26). Undercover cops grabbed a DJ’s chewing gum. It helped crack a teacher’s 1992 murder, police say. Undercover cops grabbed a DJ’s chewing gum. It helped crack a teacher’s 1992 murder, police say. – The Washington Post
WGAL News. (n.d.). Raymond “DJ Freez” Rowe attempts to withdraw guilty plea for 1992 murder of Christy Mirack. Raymond ‘DJ Freez’ Rowe attempts to withdraw guilty plea for the 1992 murder of Christy Mirack
WITF. (2025, August 19). Appeals court ordered to reconsider bid for DNA testing in Christy Mirack murder. Appeals court ordered to reconsider bid for DNA testing in Christy Mirack murder | WITF
Yahoo Entertainment. (n.d.). Beloved teacher found slain before Christmas in 1992. Beloved Teacher Found Slain Right Before Christmas — Who Attacked Her In Broad Daylight?
