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The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
National
Wendy Ruderman

What helped ID Joseph Augustus Zarelli? His mother's family dabbles in genetic genealogy

Joseph Augustus Zarelli Justin Thomas Colleen Fitzpatrick Inquirer Philadelphia Police 23andMe Ancestry Ancestrycom GEDmatch

PHILADELPHIA — It's the ultimate rabbit hole of hobbies: genetic genealogy.

There are legions of self-taught ancestry bloodhounds who upload their DNA to multiple databases in search of kin who did likewise, plugging gaps in their family tree.

Joseph Augustus Zarelli's biological mother had third and fourth cousins who did just that. They had uploaded their DNA to GEDmatch — a database that law enforcement and forensic scientists can access to help solve cold cases.

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