Albany Cold Case Solved After 61 Years With New DNA Evidence

When a case goes unsolved for several years, it's typically considered "cold". This effectively means that the case is unsolvable, and will likely be given up on.

Sometimes, however, a case comes back years or even decades later due to new evidence, and one such case in New York's Capital Region has finally been solved.

The Background

61 years ago, in September of1964, Catherine Bik Blackburn was found dead in her home on Colonie Street in Albany. Reports confirmed she had been sexually assaulted and murdered, but the suspect was still a mystery and at large.

There was a small amount of evidence, footprints, bloodstains, and various slips of paper, all believed to be connected to the killer. Unfortunately, nothing could yield definitive proof, and the case went cold.

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A New Breakthrough

59 years later, in 2023, Albany Police began working with the FBI and Othram, a DNA testing group. They'd hoped that modern advancements in technology would be able to identify the perpetrator, and wouldn't you know it? They were right. The Othram team in The Woodlands, Texas were able to put together a comprehensive DNA profile using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing. Using that profile, the FBI were able to find an exact match.

The culprit was a man by the name of Joseph Nowakowski, who would have been 33 at the time of the murder. Nowakowski had been in and out of prison up until his death in 1998, one such stint was related to a similar assault in 1973. While he may not be able to be brought to justice for his heinous crimes against Mrs. Blackburn, her family can rest a little easier now.