How a DNA lab provided a breakthrough in a year-long Lexington homicide investigation
The critical lead in a Lexington homicide case that went unsolved for over a year came courtesy of new forensic technology, which Lexington investigators turned to after failing to identify a homicide victim for months.
After finding decomposed human remains on Cambridge Drive on Feb. 17, 2022, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office and the Lexington Poilce Department had great difficulty advancing their investigation because they couldn’t figure out who the victim was.
The body was partially decomposed when it was found, making it difficult to determine identifying characteristics. According to court records, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office initially believed the victim was a younger male and that he “had been deceased for several months.”
Months after the remains were discovered, Othram, a forensic genealogy laboratory, helped identify 40-year-old Jimmy Medlock as the victim. That information later led to the arrest of 35-year-old Jennifer Kashuba, an individual who Medlock previously lived with.
“The breaking moment of this case was when (Othram) DNA Laboratory was able to provide us with a name of a possible person who had not been listed as missing or deceased,” the coroner’s office said in a press release. “Once we received this information, Robbery Homicide was able to track the DNA sample of the deceased from a previous out of state arrest.”
Othram said in a news release that the victim was believed to be 5-foot-1-inches and 84 pounds at the time of his death. Other characteristics included short light brown or blond hair and a tattoo on his thigh.
The case was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) in March 2022, but none of the leads led to the identification of the body. Later in the year, the coroner’s office partnered with Othram, which ultimately led to the critical lead.
Forensic investigators used a fairly new practice called forensic-grade genome sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for Medlock, according to Othram. Investigators used the DNA profile created by Othram to confirm the identity of Medlock and arrest Kashuba.
David Middelman, CEO of Othram, said forensic-grade genome sequencing has been available since 2018 when the company first launched. He said it has taken off in the last few years and that the company has worked with agencies at the local, state and federal levels.
“It’s a newer kind of DNA test that allows us to work cases when CODIS (a program that operates DNA profiles) is unable to return an identity or an informative lead to law enforcement,” Middelman said.
Middelman said Othram has worked in Kentucky often, but he couldn’t remember working a case with Lexington police previously.
“Rather than the traditional cold cases that’s laid dormant for years, here’s a case that didn’t work through the conventional methods and immediately transitioned to a different approach, and that way instead of this case going cold and ending up in the archives, it was resolved,” Middelman said.
Kashuba faces charges of murder, evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse, according to jail records. Kashuba’s arrest citation says the victim was stabbed in the chest once. Kashuba admitted to the stabbing after her arrest, court records say.
