Solving the 1979 Murder of Kathy Halle with M-Vac DNA | Jared Bradley of M-Vac Systems

Jared Bradley is the president of M-Vac Systems, a cutting-edge forensic DNA collection company helping law enforcement solve cold cases once thought unsolvable. A military veteran and host of the podcast All Things Crime, Jared is a global leader in touch DNA recovery. He has worked with investigators around the world to identify suspects, exonerate the innocent, and bring long-awaited closure to victim families. Learn more: M-Vac Systems Podcast: All Things Crime In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator Sheryl McCollum is joined by forensic innovator Jared Bradley to explore the newly solved cold case of Kathy Halle, a 19-year-old murdered in 1979. Her case remained unsolved for 45 years—until DNA recovered using the M-Vac system identified suspected serial offender Bruce Lindahl as the killer. Sheryl and Jared unpack the investigation, the science behind M-Vac, and how support from the nonprofit Season of Justice helped bring long-overdue answers. Highlights: • (0:00) Sheryl opens the episode with Kathy Halle’s story and introduces Jared Bradley • (3:00) Kathy Halle disappears: a misplaced car, a rooftop purse, and early red flags • (9:00) Quiet persistence: decades of case reviews, missed connections, and evolving DNA science • (10:30) Cutting-edge DNA recovery leads to a 1-in-9.4-trillion match • (12:45) Bruce Lindahl: a suspected serial predator whose violent end left unanswered questions • (16:15) The psychology of predators: what makes serial offenders so hard to catch • (18:45) M-Vac on the map: solving Krystal Beslanowitch’s murder with DNA from river rocks • (23:00) “Every case. Every tool. Every time.” • (25:30) Gang violence, shared clothing, and how M-Vac cut through the DNA mix • (28:15) Clearing Chris Tapp: how M-Vac helped free a wrongfully convicted man • (31:00) From burgers to crime scenes: M-Vac’s surprising origin story • (33:15) Final reflections on persistence, partnership, and solving the unsolvable • (33:30) “The M-Vac can vacuum 186 times more than a swab can.” – Jared Bradley If you’re enjoying Zone 7, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts—it helps others discover the show and supports our mission to share these stories. --- Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases. Social Links: Email: • coldcase2004@gmail.com Twitter • : @ColdCaseTips Facebook • : @sheryl.mccollum Instagram: @officialzone7podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.