an important example of how cold case detectives can revisit decades-old evidence.
The breakthrough did not depend on one dramatic piece of newly discovered forensic technology.
Instead, investigators found value in information that had existed for years.
A witness statement.
A composite sketch.
An old photograph.
A name in an investigative report.
A later criminal record.
Each individual piece had limited value.
Together, they created a new investigative path.
Montgomery County Police later credited generations of investigators for continuing to work on the case. In 2018, the department recognized 132 investigators who had worked on the investigation from its beginning in 1975 through its resolution in 2017.
The mountain kept one final secret
Even after Welch’s conviction, investigators did not consider every question settled.
Taylor’s Mountain remained associated with the search for the sisters’ remains.
In October 2024, federal and local investigators returned to the Virginia property for another search
