KALAMAZOO,MI (WTVB) – The Western Michigan University (WMU) Cold Case Program has successfully aided the Michigan State Police (MSP) in cracked yet another decades-old mystery, marking the eighth solved case since the program’s launch in 2020.
Student investigators working under the guidance of WMU Cold Case Program director Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten meticulously reviewed, organized, and digitized thousands of pages of archival files to streamline the complex investigation. This rigorous student research, paired with the state-of-the-art forensic genetic genealogy testing utilized by the Michigan State Police laboratory, provided detectives with crucial, actionable leads that had remained hidden for decades.
This latest breakthrough culminated in a major legal victory as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the successful conviction and sentencing of 48-year-old Jason Robert Cabello in Saginaw County.
Cabello was sentenced to 23 to 45 years in prison for the brutal 2003 strangulation and sexual assault of 57-year-old Jeanette Wilton, whose body was discovered in the Flint River over twenty years ago.
The partnership highlights the immense value of experiential learning, offering college students unparalleled, hands-on law enforcement training while ensuring that long-forgotten victims finally receive accountability and justice.
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