The Forever Witness
How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $23.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Edward Humes
-
Written by:
-
Edward Humes
About this listen
“Thought-provoking true-crime thriller…the book raises urgent questions of balancing public and private good that we’ll likely be dealing with as long as the title implies.”—Wall Street Journal
A relentless detective and a civilian genealogist solve a haunting cold case—and launch a crime-fighting revolution that tests the fragile line between justice and privacy.
In November 1987, a young couple from the idyllic suburbs of Vancouver Island on an overnight trip to Seattle vanished without a trace. A week later, the bodies of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and her boyfriend Jay Cook were found in rural Washington. It was a brutal crime, and it was the perfect crime: With few clues and no witnesses in the vast and foreboding Olympic Peninsula, an international manhunt turned up empty, and the sensational case that shocked the Pacific Northwest gradually slipped from the headlines.
In deep-freeze, long-term storage, biological evidence from the crime sat waiting, as Detective Jim Scharf poured over old case files looking for clues his predecessors missed. Meanwhile, 1,200 miles away in California, CeCe Moore began her lifelong fascination with genetic genealogy, a powerful forensic tool that emerged not from the crime lab, but through the wildly popular home DNA ancestry tests purchased by more than 40 million Americans. When Scharf decided to send the cold case’s decades-old DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, he hoped he would finally bring closure to the Van Cuylenborg and Cook families. He didn’t know that he and Moore would make history.
Genetic genealogy, long the province of family tree hobbyists and adoptees seeking their birth families, has made headlines as a cold case solution machine, capable of exposing the darkest secrets of seemingly upstanding citizens. In the hands of a tenacious detective like Scharf, genetic genealogy has solved one baffling killing after another. But as this crime-fighting technique spreads, its sheer power has sparked a national debate: Can we use DNA to catch the murderers among us, yet still protect our last shred of privacy in the digital age—the right to the very blueprint of who we are?
©2022 Edward Humes (P)2022 Penguin AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
I Know Who You Are
- How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever
- Written by: Barbara Rae-Venter
- Narrated by: Barbara Rae-Venter
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For twelve years the Golden State Killer terrorized California, stalking victims and killing without remorse. Then he simply disappeared, for the next forty-four years, until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop. In I Know Who You Are, Barbara Rae-Venter reveals how she went from researching her family history as a retiree to hunting for a notorious serial killer—and how she became the nation’s leading authority on investigative genetic genealogy, the most dazzling new crime-fighting weapon to appear in decades.
-
-
Fascinating book, I couldn’t stop listening.
- By WEC on 2023-03-05
Written by: Barbara Rae-Venter
-
The Minders
- Written by: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Katherine Press, Oliver Hembrough
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into - so five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country's most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted inside their heads. Together, the five know the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover-up. In return, they're given the chance to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew. But not everyone should be trusted.
-
-
Love this book!
- By Sonja Logan on 2022-07-08
Written by: John Marrs
-
The Urge
- Our History of Addiction
- Written by: Carl Erik Fisher
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a psychiatrist in training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher found himself face-to-face with an addiction crisis that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of his condition, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that our society’s current quagmire is only part of a centuries-old struggle to treat addictive behavior.
-
-
very good
- By Pascal on 2022-05-13
Written by: Carl Erik Fisher
-
Twenty Years Later
- Written by: Charlie Donlea
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story - a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal - is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: The victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
-
-
my least favorite book by the author
- By Anonymous User on 2024-02-15
Written by: Charlie Donlea
-
Trailed
- One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders
- Written by: Kathryn Miles
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1996, two skilled backcountry leaders, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, entered Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park for a week-long backcountry camping trip. The free-spirited and remarkable young couple had met and fallen in love the previous summer while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. During their final days in the park, they descended the narrow remnants of a trail and pitched their tent in a hidden spot. After the pair didn’t return home as planned, park rangers found a scene of horror at their campsite.
Written by: Kathryn Miles
-
Lay Them to Rest
- On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless
- Written by: Laurah Norton
- Narrated by: Laurah Norton
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fans of true crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order know that when it comes to “getting the bad guy” behind bars, your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence—and the forensic science used to obtain it. Beyond the silver screen, forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases.
-
-
Amazing book, I couldn’t stop!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-11-29
Written by: Laurah Norton
-
I Know Who You Are
- How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever
- Written by: Barbara Rae-Venter
- Narrated by: Barbara Rae-Venter
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For twelve years the Golden State Killer terrorized California, stalking victims and killing without remorse. Then he simply disappeared, for the next forty-four years, until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop. In I Know Who You Are, Barbara Rae-Venter reveals how she went from researching her family history as a retiree to hunting for a notorious serial killer—and how she became the nation’s leading authority on investigative genetic genealogy, the most dazzling new crime-fighting weapon to appear in decades.
-
-
Fascinating book, I couldn’t stop listening.
- By WEC on 2023-03-05
Written by: Barbara Rae-Venter
-
The Minders
- Written by: John Marrs
- Narrated by: Katherine Press, Oliver Hembrough
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into - so five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country's most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted inside their heads. Together, the five know the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover-up. In return, they're given the chance to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew. But not everyone should be trusted.
-
-
Love this book!
- By Sonja Logan on 2022-07-08
Written by: John Marrs
-
The Urge
- Our History of Addiction
- Written by: Carl Erik Fisher
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a psychiatrist in training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher found himself face-to-face with an addiction crisis that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of his condition, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that our society’s current quagmire is only part of a centuries-old struggle to treat addictive behavior.
-
-
very good
- By Pascal on 2022-05-13
Written by: Carl Erik Fisher
-
Twenty Years Later
- Written by: Charlie Donlea
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience’s attention. Her latest story - a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal - is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner’s office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: The victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence.
-
-
my least favorite book by the author
- By Anonymous User on 2024-02-15
Written by: Charlie Donlea
-
Trailed
- One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders
- Written by: Kathryn Miles
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1996, two skilled backcountry leaders, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, entered Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park for a week-long backcountry camping trip. The free-spirited and remarkable young couple had met and fallen in love the previous summer while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. During their final days in the park, they descended the narrow remnants of a trail and pitched their tent in a hidden spot. After the pair didn’t return home as planned, park rangers found a scene of horror at their campsite.
Written by: Kathryn Miles
-
Lay Them to Rest
- On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless
- Written by: Laurah Norton
- Narrated by: Laurah Norton
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fans of true crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order know that when it comes to “getting the bad guy” behind bars, your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence—and the forensic science used to obtain it. Beyond the silver screen, forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases.
-
-
Amazing book, I couldn’t stop!
- By Anonymous User on 2023-11-29
Written by: Laurah Norton
-
The Stillwater Girls
- Written by: Minka Kent
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo, Melissa Moran
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ignorant of civilization and cautioned against its evils, nineteen-year-old Wren and her two sisters, Sage and Evie, were raised in off-the-grid isolation in a primitive cabin in upstate New York. When the youngest grows gravely ill, their mother leaves with the child to get help from a nearby town. And they never return. As months pass, hope vanishes. Supplies are low. Livestock are dying.
-
-
Characters
- By Janice Hoy on 2024-10-26
Written by: Minka Kent
-
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
- One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
- Written by: Michelle McNamara
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Gillian Flynn - introduction, Patton Oswalt - afterword
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer - the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade - from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.
-
-
Confusing as an audiobook
- By Odell Saliga on 2018-05-17
Written by: Michelle McNamara
-
Long Time Gone
- Written by: Charlie Donlea
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty. Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the experiment: she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents.
-
-
very good story
- By Krista on 2024-11-13
Written by: Charlie Donlea
-
Lost Girls
- An Unsolved American Mystery
- Written by: Robert Kolker
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One late spring evening in 2010, Shannan Gilbert - after running through the oceanfront community of Oak Beach screaming for her life - went missing. No one who had heard of her disappearance thought much about what had happened to the 24-year-old: She was a Craigslist escort who had been fleeing a scene - of what, no one could be sure. The Suffolk County police, too, seemed to have paid little attention - until seven months later, when an unexpected discovery in a bramble alongside a nearby highway turned up four bodies, all evenly spaced, all wrapped in burlap.
-
-
The care for the lives of the victims
- By nicolas on 2024-03-09
Written by: Robert Kolker
-
The Killer's Shadow
- The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer
- Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Holt McCallany
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready. A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, The Killer's Shadow is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other" is allowed full reign.
-
-
Intriguing, informative, Well written!!
- By bill on 2020-12-19
Written by: John E. Douglas, and others
-
Trail of the Lost
- The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
- Written by: Andrea Lankford
- Narrated by: Kristi Burns
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a park ranger with the National Park Service's law enforcement team, Andrea Lankford led search and rescue missions in some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) landscapes across America, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon. But though she had the support of the agency, Andrea grew frustrated with the service's bureaucratic idiosyncrasies, and left the force after twelve years. Two decades later, however, she stumbles across a mystery that pulls her right back where she left off: three young men have vanished from the Pacific Crest Trail.
-
-
Awful narrator
- By Puncture on 2024-10-19
Written by: Andrea Lankford
What the critics say
"Whether one is interested in cold case puzzles or genealogy, or just curious about solving crimes, The Forever Witness should be read and reread until it becomes a dog-eared part of one’s library.”—New York Journal of Books
“This book was fabulous. The Forever Witness was thorough, informative, and deeply emotional.”—True Crime Index
“Humes' writing is suspenseful yet also journalistic, providing fascinating details about the case, technological advances in police work, and genetic genealogy. A winner for any fan of true crime.”—Booklist (starred review)
What listeners say about The Forever Witness
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sandy
- 2024-05-30
engaging
I really like true crime, like most. this book was not clunky in giving information. the writer easily made the true story interesting, and I learned a lot.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-02-10
Excellent work!
One of the most compelling true crime books that I have read. So happy that Audible suggested it to me because I had never heard of it. I am from Vancouver Island and was familiar with this sad, sad story. It is obvious that the writer is an excellent journalist and displays compassion and fine details without being gratuitous.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pursuing Pretty
- 2024-05-02
I’ve recommended it to everyone I know!
As a Canadian genetic genealogist, this book hit home in so many ways. It was well written and researched, weaving a tragic tale that ended with the justice that so many true crime stories never get. Thank you for explaining this in a way that anyone can understand. I hope that investigative genetic genealogy is used as common practice everywhere in North America one day in the near future. It’s books like this that push the cause forward.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Roberta W
- 2024-06-02
Excellent
Truly riveting. Stayed up all night listening. While I was interested in hearing the details about how the first DNA conviction came about, it was that the victims were from close to home, travelling to an area I visited, that really sparked my curiosity. Such a senseless tragedy. If there can be good news in all this is that the evidence was preserved, allowing it to be processed with new technologies later. Well written. I might listen to the chapters about the DNA again - these were handled as a bit of an aside, part way through the book, right when my brain was asking about how all these tests and databases worked. I understood, but might listen again to cement that knowledge. Fortunately, this audiobook has well titled chapters. Recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!