With advances in DNA testing techniques, Edward Morgan was ultimately arrested on a capital murder charge linked to the fatal stabbing and s*xual assault of the young woman.
Through these new technologies, justice is finally served for Jane providing solace for her family, who had spent more than three decades wondering what exactly happened to their daughter.
Thompson’s body was found behind a warehouse on Irving Boulevard on February 13, 1984. Her case went cold for 25 years until the Dallas police reopened it in 2009 and tested male DNA. However, there was no match, and the case went cold again.
In 2018, a detective from the Dallas Police cold case unit reopened the case and began working with the Dallas County DA s*xual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team to try new types of forensic testing techniques. Two years later, the FBI joined the team to help identify Thompson’s killer.
Authorities submitted the unknown male DNA profile for forensic genetic genealogy analysis (FGG), which uses genealogical websites to identify potential relatives of a suspect based on DNA collected at a crime scene.
The same technology was used to catch the Golden State Killer.
Through FGG, Edward Morgan was identified as the suspect, and DNA testing confirmed this week that he matched the unidentified profile from the swab taken in the 1984 autopsy.
Morgan is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail and faces one count of capital murder. His bond is set at $500,000, and it is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
What happened to Jane Thompson?
According to the Dallas Morning News, Thompson was an aspiring model who worked at a florist’s shop and a restaurant.
She moved to Dallas about six months before her death after living in Houston and Los Angeles.
Thompson was last seen two days before she was found dead, taking a bus to a medical clinic that turned out to be closed. She was strangled with her own leg warmers.
The case was solved through collaboration between Dallas police, the FBI, and the SAKI team said Dallas County Assistant District Attorney and SAKI Chief Leighton D’Antoni.
“Working together, we continue to solve the most difficult cold cases that Dallas has ever seen,” D’Antoni said.
“I look forward to working with all our local law enforcement agencies to utilize the advancements in forensic testing techniques to identify, arrest, and prosecute the most dangerous predators hiding among us. We never, ever forget about these cases, our victims, and their families,” D’Antoni added.
He added that the case was another example of how advancements in forensic testing techniques are being used to identify, arrest, and prosecute dangerous predators.
After the arrest, Thompson’s sister Selena Tomasello posted a montage of family photos on Facebook, writing that authorities “found the guy that killed my sister 38 years ago.”
She also posted several messages about her sister over the years, including one in 2014, marking 30 years since her death.
“Mary Jane Thompson, you are loved and missed. I am sorry I was not there for you when you needed me. I hope they find the man who killed you 30 years ago so you can rest in peace. Love you sis – rip,” she wrote.
