MO MO - Fawn Cox, 16, killed in her home, Kansas City, 26 July 1989 *suspect died in 2006*

[Savemecastiel]

Bumping.

 

[Grew up in the hood]

This is going up close to the neighborhood.

 

[PastTense]

"The Kansas City Police Department is making a big push to solve a 30-year-old murder.

They are hoping to get a DNA mugshot of the man who raped and killed 16-year-old Fawn Cox in her Kansas City bedroom... The latest development could be the biggest break in her case.

What if you could see the face of her killer? Technology has advanced and now police are working to take the DNA left at the scene and create a DNA mugshot to get answers for Fawn...

The reason why is because you can now take DNA and create a DNA mugshot that reveals what a person generally looks like. “To finally have a picture that’s as close as we can get, we haven’t had that all these years,” said Felisa Cox, Fawn’s sister. “We could only imagine.” The mugshots have been so powerful. Some suspects see the composites and just turn themselves in.

Detectives said DNA will provide a mugshot, but they also hope to trace the killer’s family tree with public genetic databases."

New DNA mugshot technology could help solve 30-year-old murder case

 

[jaejae]

Here are the victims family making a renewed appeal in this case:

 

[Tortoise]

My God, I want to say that is criminal that they aren't testing due to funds when the funds have been raised for it. Why not release the evidence to the family so they can arrange their own testing? I can't believe they are putting morals above catching a deadly predator. Would they say they don't have the funds to prosecute next if they were able to get a DNA match?

 

[Lynnjj]

Tortoise I have a theory on my sister fawns case. What I believe happened. I babysat through the week and it happened on a Wednesday. While my mom and little sister went to get fawn from work around 11:00 and mean while back at home my dad slept. That's when the burglars and murderer came through the back bedroom. Climbing up the big orange dump truck and very, very dark in are back yard. They get on the porch roof and climbed in the open window. There were probably 4 of the burglars. The one on the ground was the one caught with the Nintendo, 2 radios and a stereo. The burglars inside the house. Hides out in are closets behind stuff until everyone fell asleep.(there was proof they were hiding in are closets. Everything they can hide behind was pulled out of the closets. After they burglarized are house. ( probably messed up on drugs,most likely.) It would have taken 2 people to rape a dead body when the bed is on wheels on wooden floor. Someone would have to hold the bed still to rape a dead body. There was are steak knife that they used to probably threaten my sister with. They did get a print but it was are knife that fawn kept in her room to lock her door with. My little sister and mom and dad slept downstairs in the air condition. Window unit over my mom and dads bed, very loud. The dog barked between 12 and 2 somewhere around that time and my little sister shut are poodle up. The burglars and murderer had to know are routine and the layout of the house. I was not home monday thrue friday or I would have slept in my room, the room they entered into. My sister fawn and I are only 1 years and 10 days apart in age so we liked are privacy. Hot or cold in the house. The next morning my dad used the only working bathroom witch was upstairs between my little sister and my room and fawns room. You can see clearly in the bedroom. Fawn had no underwear on so my dad just covered her up. Her alarm went off around 10 or 11 not sure but she was not responding so my mom told my younger sister to go wake her but my mom got a gut feeling something was wrong and followed my little sister to fawns bedroom. She was dead with my little sisters nightgown wrapped around her neck which they would have had to get the night gown out of one of are drawers in my little sister and my room. It was planned. I believe,they came to do what they did and burglarized,too. My sister fawn was so sweet and outgoing that is what probably happened. It has effected my world greatly! Your home is your safe haven. You should always feel safe at home. They had other guys in custody but not enough evidence on them.

Sent from my LGL58VL using Tapatalk

Hi there I live in Kansas City and have been seeing a lot of posts on social media involving your sisters case. First, I am so sorry that you and your family had to go through this especially at such a young age. I can't imagine, and I hope you get answers very soon; please don't take any of my questions the wrong way just wanting to think through this with everyone else. I have a few questions after reading this whole chain if you don't mind my asking.
1. Any idea what time your dad went to sleep?
2. How long had you been babysitting Monday-Friday? (where you would not have been in your room that they entered the home through)
3. Your mother nor your father used the bathroom that night where they would have potentially seen something out of place upstairs? (Or when was the last time they did?) What about your little sister? (I'm not familiar with her age at the time)
3. As a rule did your dog bark a lot when strangers came over? Was there a door that was closed between where the poodle was and the stairs leading up to the bedrooms and the bathroom?
4. Did your mother or little sister not go upstairs to use the restroom before 10 or 11am the next morning despite not using it the night before where they might have seen Fawn like your father did before her alarm went off?
5. Could the perpetrator have been someone Fawn knew (such as a boyfriend) that she might have previously snuck into the home the same way they entered that night? I could picture being a sneaky teenager and explaining to someone how they could get in and would not be heard because of the things you mentioned such as air conditioner etc.
Thank you, and again I hope you don't take anything the wrong way.

 

[Grew up in the hood]

Fawn wasn’t that kind of girl to let any boy in her room.

 

[norest4thewicked]

Any updates in this case?

 

[Legally Bland]

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Fawn Cox was raped and murdered in 1989. She was just 16 years old.

No advanced testing or genetic tracing for suspects has taken place on the DNA left behind. Investigators say KCPD doesn’t have the right equipment or funding for DNA testing.

The family has offered to pay for the testing by raising community funds- a move that other families have done across the nation-- but that’s not allowed by KCPD. So, the money which could pay for the test just sits.

The department maintains that there needs to be an overall program to fund all genetic genealogy testing and not just fund one case for answers.

“It’s so hard. I understand the family, you know, ‘I want to get this moving.’ But from a police department perspective, we treat every case the same,” said Chief Rick Smith.

[...]

“We need to see this solved. And money is their excuse? I don’t understand it. It’s just sitting there. And now there this all this advancement in technology. Why have they not taken care of that?” Felisa Cox said.

Recently, an outside non-profit group tried to step in and help with testing. But the department turned down that offer too.

“It is frustrating. I’m not bashing law enforcement either. I work in law enforcement and have been for 21 years, I get both sides. But this is such a solvable case! I cannot understand what the holdup is.” Della Williams said.

Kansas City family questions lack of advanced DNA testing in cold case

 

[makinwaffles]

New DNA technology helps solve 31-year-old Kansas City murder case

Dna familial match made naming her cousin as the perpetrator.

 

[lisette]

I am glad that the family has found out who did this, but it must be very hard knowing that it was an extended family member. I wonder if anyone ever suspected him?

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Wow.. This poor family loses a child and then to find it is a family member all these years later. Rest Easy now Fawn, I'm glad your family finally has answers.

 

[MarziPanda]

How evil... to have been close to the family and seen their suffering, maybe even comforting them, knowing you are the one who caused that suffering. Knowing you could ease their suffering by confessing, but never doing it. I can't read the article (it's blocked in my country) but someone on a different thread posted that it says he died some years ago from a drug overdose.

Having never heard of this case before and having read through this thread today, it does seem clear in retrospect that it must have been someone close to the family. He knew the layout of the house, knew who would and wouldn't be in the house, knew about the air conditioning.

 

[momsof3]

I agree with everyone here - how devastating for the family. I have a really basic questions - if LE had the DNA, couldn't they tell the two were related? That seems like something the most very basic DNA analysis would show. Has that occurred to anyone else?

ETA - maybe that is why Parabon never released the "snapshot" like they usually do. Usually there is a composite from the DNA but here it went directly to identification. Maybe the minute Parabon went to look for genetic matches they thought "wait, we have a first cousin with the victim."

I feel so bad for this family. The long wait while KCPD said they could not use Gedmatch. Then something I would think a state crime lab could figure out.

 

[lisette]

Amber, I am so sorry that the answer to your questions led to this revelation. My heart goes out to you and your family as you deal with this information. When, or IF, you ever feel like sharing with us your reaction to this news, please know that we sympathize with you in this situation, though we can’t fully understand what you are going through.

 

[MarziPanda]

It's possible they simply didn't think to compare the suspect's DNA to Fawn's. Or they only had mtDNA. I'm no scientist but my understanding is that because Fawn and her cousin weren't maternally related (they have the same surname so I assume their fathers were brothers) they wouldn't have matching mtDNA. I could be wrong there though.

I also wonder if they could have shown the snapshot to the family first to ask if they recognised him, and they realised who it was.
https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/mtdna-and-mitochondrial-diseases-903

 

[SolVic]

Has Donald’s obituary been found?

 

[StarrChance]

Has Donald’s obituary been found?

There are two Donald Cox that I can find.
I’m pretty sure this is the correct one , I can’t find a obituary
Donald Lee
Name
Donald Lee Cox Jr
Birth
25/05/1968 (25 May 1968) Kansas City Missouri
Death
30/07/2006 (30 Jul 2006)

The other is Donald Raymond Cox 11 who has an obituary.
Need a middle name or dob.

 

[lisette]

There are two Donald Cox that I can find.
I’m pretty sure this is the correct one , I can’t find a obituary
Donald Lee
Name
Donald Lee Cox Jr
Birth
25/05/1968 (25 May 1968) Kansas City Missouri
Death
30/07/2006 (30 Jul 2006)

The other is Donald Raymond Cox 11 who has an obituary.
Need a middle name or dob.

This is the obituary of Donald Sr. It mentions that he was preceded in death by his son Donald Lee Cox Jr., as well as listing John as a brother, who is Fawn’s father.
Obituary for Donald Lee Cox, Sr at Thurman Funeral Home

 

[lisette]

Here is Donald Jr.’s obituary...Not much info:
Donald Cox - Obituary