The Forever Witness by Edward Humes is both a true crime story and a dive into the development and science of genetic genealogy.

Humes shares the story of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg, a young Canadian couple who were tragically, brutally killed during a quick trip into Washington state and whose killer was never identified or caught. The cold case fell into the lap of Detective Jim Scharf; Scharf worked for years to get a break in the case and, through the use of the new field of genetic genealogy, was finally able to identify the killer.

Humes also features the story of CeCe Moore, whose deep-dive into genealogy for a wedding present eventually led to her pioneering the field of genetic genealogy. Moore’s process seems so simple but takes a lot of time to find a person. However, her work quickly became invaluable for not only personal genealogy work but also for solving crimes, including cold cases.

When Moore takes on Schafer’s case, the double homicide that had remained unsolved for decades is suddenly solved in no time at all. Jay and Tanya’s killer is arrested, and the final portion of the book covers the trial and the resolution of the case. Humes shares some discussion of the legality and ethics of using genetic genealogy to solve cold cases, which raises a number of interesting questions and food for thought. For this trial, though, Moore’s identification of the killer isn’t questioned, and he’s finally brought to justice.

The Forever Witness is a well-researched, entertainingly-written story of a horrible crime and the people who refused to let a killer go free. Fans of true crime, science, and mysteries will speed through this book to discover whodunnit.

The Forever Witness had me enthralled from the first page until the last. I’ve never read a more extensive account of a murder investigation nor have I felt as involved in the story as with The Forever Witness. The chapters dealing with DNA and the advancements thanks to DNA searches by the public we’re very informative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading true crime.

The Forever Witness was a book filled with true crime and excellent research into how cold cases are handled as well as DNA. This book really makes you think about DNA research and how it can be used and how it has been used in the past. I am a sucker for “how” so I appreciate being told how the detective and researchers solved the crime in great detail. Every chapter was filled with twists and turns which made me wanting more. There was a chapter that I skimmed/skipped due to it jumping from the murder to pure DNA research that had nothing to directly do with the murders. Overall a great book that I would recommend to friends and family.

This book was a very interesting read and really highlighted the power of genetic genealogy as an investigative tool. Its ability to solve cold cases was extremely compelling, as was seeing how the case played out in the courtroom.

Book Review 📚

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First I would like to thank the wonderful @netgalley for giving me this ARC to read and review!

How far we've come with science is miraculous. The things you can learn about yourself genetically with just a little spit in a tube is amazing. Using this technology has grown to help solve thousands of Jane/John Doe cases and Cold Case Files. In this case it helped solve a cold case of a double murder/rape case.

Humes really did a fabolous job telling this story. It was informative, and addicting. The explanation of how genetics evolved was easy to follow and wonderfully written. It went through the whole process of how geneticists and police came together to start solving these cases. The back storyline of the impact on what this did to the victims families broke My heart. Dealing with losing your child is hard enough, but not knowing who did it for years is crushing. 🥺

If your a true crime fan, this is the book for you! I rated this 4 stars because after reading this I realized I enjoy watching true crime a lot more than reading it. With that being said it's just a personal preference and this book was still the jam.

Publication date: November 29th 2022

4.5 stars!

This was super interesting! As someone who enjoys both true crime & science, this was the perfect book for me. This book explains how one discarded coffee cup helped solved a decades old cold murder case. The facts were presented neatly as was the science. Everything was explained well without becoming too wordy.

The Forever Witness is partly true crime and partly a discussion of genetic genealogy. It needs to be both of these things because the crime in question, the killing of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg was the first murder to be prosecuted on the basis of genetic genealogy. The author did great work in researching this case and also providing context to what genetic genealogy is and how it works. I read this book in only a couple of days because it is a fairly easy and quite interesting book. If I have a complaint, it is with the organization. About mid way through the book is when there is a lot of jumping around to different cold cases and background on genetic genealogy and various people involved with it. It really took what had been proving to be quite a fast-paced book and completely slowed it down. Too much information that distracted from the meat of the book, which I had assumed was the Cook and Van Cuylenborg cold case. It came off as an attempt to pad the page count. In general though, I enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit!

I am a big fan of shows like Dateline, 48 Hours etc. and had seen several accounts of how James Scharf enlisted the help of Cece Moore and solved a 1980's era murder of a young couple using genetic genealogy. I was interested to see how Edward Humes, the author, told the story and what he had to add to a subject that seemed to have been squeezed dry already. As it turns out he had plenty to add.

Humes takes us through the chronology of what happened when but did much more. The victims, Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook, are fully realized as are the family's they left behind. We also meet Scharf and watch as he doggedly pursues lead after lead despite the burden of other cases, a sick wife and beloved dogs who are ill.

Humes also takes us through the controversies which arose in the community of what heretofore were hobbiests and who now had to debate the ethics of privacy vs the public good.

Finally, Humes takes us for a riveting look at the trial of the killer including what went on in the trial and following deliberations. This is a compelling story about the tragic end to two lives, the scars left on the two families and how a team of determined if not obsessed individuals found the truth.

ARC releasing 11/29. A focus on how a decades old double murder cold case was one of the first to be solved by genetic genealogy and a dive into the privacy of genealogy and DNA. The writing was thorough without being boring both about the details of the case and about the science behind DNA matching. I only wish this was about the Golden State Killer instead as that was the first big genetic genealogy arrest to go to trial.

Quick Take: The new science of forensic genealogy solves the cold case of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg.

The Forever Witness by Edward Humes tells the tale of the murder of Jay Cook and Tanya Van Cuylenborg. This story is written in concise language, giving enough detail to make the scene come alive but not enough that I feel like the narrative is dragging on.

Jay and his girlfriend Tanya headed out for an overnight trip in 1987 from Saanich, British Columbia. Their destination was Seattle to pick up parts for Jay’s father’s business. Unfortunately, they never made it. About a week later their bodies were found. While police investigated every lead, the case went cold only to be reopened over 30 years later.

In addition to the story, The Forever Witness details the development of forensic genealogy. Forensic genealogy uses DNA databases to build a family tree that eventually leads to the killer. This new science was recently used to uncover the Golden State Killer. While forensic genealogy has already solved many cold cases its not without controversy regarding privacy and ethics.

This book was well written and the pacing was perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime.

Rating: 5/5
Genre: True Crime

I received this digital ARC compliments of NetGalley.

Overall: ☆☆☆☆ (4.8)
Research: ☆☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: ☆☆☆☆☆
Entertainment:☆☆☆☆
Voice/writing style:☆☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆☆

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Edward Humes for an opportunity to read the advanced readers copy of this book.

Many of us have spit in a tube, sealed it up, mailed it, and then awaited the exciting DNA information that becomes the result of our spit in a tube.  We may find we are predisposed to certain illnesses. Many of us use it to find our ancestry.  Some who are avid, can locate and build entire family trees. But we never think our spit may help police uncover serial killers, rapists, and John or Jane Does.

The Forever Witness,  by Edward Humes outlines how one police agency used the new cutting edge techniques to track down the killer is a cold case that had no leads; as well as the taboo topic of do the police have the right to access these public databases with our DNA.

I have read several true crime novels this year, and this by far, is my favorite.  I can forsee it staying one of my favorites for the remainder of the year.

Humes does an amazing job of creating a linear timeline of murders,  investigation,  and trial of Jay Cook's and Tanya Van Cuylenborg's murderer and rapist.

Many true crime novels have a nonlinear outline, causing the author to cover certain topics over and over, over saturating the reader with information about one aspect, and then glancing over other aspects or topics that deserve more discussion

Edward Humes, though, creates such a wonderful timeline, with appropriate information and descriptions throughout the entire book, that makes the reader sometimes forget they are reading a book, and almost believe they are seeing a documentary.

He takes us through the progression of DNA and how it has assisted forensics, and thus, has lead to the newest way of utilizing DNA for investigation purposes, while still in it's infancy.

And while he takes us primarily through one spectacular case in how this new technology is being used, he also covers many similar cases to keep you intrigued throughout the book.

The research was superb,  the writing style phenomenal,  and all true crime lovers should read this book.

I find genetic genealogy to be endlessly fascinating. So too was this account of the first case to be brought to trial using this form of investigation. Excellently organized and well written, I devoured it in less than 24 hrs.

I received an ARC of The Forever Witness by, Edward Humes. I remember the story of Tanya and Jay murder, I watched some true crime shows about it. They were great kids just starting out in the world, but they never got the chance.

Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook were murdered in the 80s on a road trip that was supposed to just be an overnight excursion to Seattle. No one knew what had happened, or who had done such a thing.
Until Jim Scharf teamed up with CeCe Moore.
The cold case detective was not about to give up on finding out who killed Tanya and Jay, and CeCe's fascination with the growing science of DNA was going to be instrumental to that.
I was pulled into this book right away, as I am very interested in DNA and how it pertains to solving crimes.
I would imagine that giving a grieving family answers, even years later, would be one of the greatest gifts you could give them in such a terrible situation. It's amazing to me the steps CeCe and Jim took to find the real killer, and piece together what happened to Tanya and Jay on that fateful night so long ago.
Any lover of true crime, a good mystery, and DNA science as it relates to forensics and cold cases will love this book too.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the advanced copy!

This is an engrossing read. Though I feared the book would be dry, Humes' writing style is fast-paced and engaging. If you're a fan of shows like Bones and CSI, you'll likely enjoy this book. My only complaint is that I wish it was a little more detailed. The book is written in a very engaging manner and it doesnt get too dry. I'm not necessarily a true crime junkie, but I found it to be fascinating to see how these techniques came to be when you compare them with how they're done now.

Very interesting book! I vaguely remember the Tanya and Jay case,but never realized it had occurred over 30 years ago and the perpetrator had never been identified. I love genealogy and was so thrilled to see Cece Moore had helped identify the murderer.#netgalley #theforeverwitness #edwardhumes

November 18, 1987 began like any other day for 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook. Jay’s father owned a business for which he needed supplies for a customer. They would need to take an overnight trip taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, then drive to Seattle to pick supplies up first thing in the morning. But they never arrived to pick up the supplies. Their bodies were discovered the following week. Edward Humes takes us through a deeply moving story of both Tanya’s and Jay’s bodies being discovered, their families’ identifying their bodies. We hear first-hand accounts from both victim’s families of the struggle of not having anyone to hold accountable for the loss of their children for 30 years. We also hear from the cold case investigator who cracks the case and identifies the perpetrator through the use of genetic genealogy. We are taken through the first-ever genetic genealogy murder trial of perpetrator, William Talbott II and hear from jurors who served during the trial.
I found this book fascinating. Humes does an incredible job taking us through the emotions of the families and investigators. The only thing I think would have been nice is a map to have a visual guide of the areas where different events took place. We have all heard about the solving of the Golden State Killer Case but I was not aware of this lesser-known case even though it is the first case ever brought to trial using genetic genealogy. He gives a considerable amount of background information on genetic genealogy, its roots, how it is used present-day, and how those who helped to build the databases feel about its use by police officials in identifying those committing violent crimes. It challenged me to think outside of the superficial beliefs I have about its use and forced me to consider the ethics involved. I think anyone who has an interest in true crime or genetic genealogy will enjoy this intriguing book. Although I believe it is evident what Humes’s stance is on the use of genetic geology in solving cold cases, it is very well-research and well-written. Now we are just left to sort out how we can use the tools available while maintaining privacy. And that is what both sides are left to question.
I am so thankful to have received an eARC of this book and am looking forward to having a copy of this for my shelf when it is released.

This was such a good read. Sometimes true crime can be dry or confusing but, I was engaged the whole time. I think solving crime through genetic genealogy is super interesting and I loved how this book went into detail on the process and that side of things.

I gave this book a solid 5 star rating and here’s why. This book has all the details needed to feel connected to the story of Tanya and Jay. Their deaths were unnecessary and taken too soon. The satisfaction you get as a reader when you learn of the perpetrator is really hard to explain. I loved the different perspectives of the book and the genetic genealogy used is fascinating. I immediately went to GEDmatch and uploaded my DNA and gave consent to be used in police investigations. I encourage you to read this book if you enjoy true crime or forensic tv shows, movies, podcasts or books.

Gripping thriller/crime drama with great police procedural writing, so good it made it seem as if the lead detective was relating the crime to me. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can highly recommend it to anyone wishing to experience at high=tension detective thriller.