Attorney General Bonta: Cutting Edge Familial DNA Search Program Has Led to the Arrest of a Suspect in 1973 Cold Case Homicide

SAN FRANCISCO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina, Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli today announced the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Familial Search Program provided an investigative lead that has led to the arrest of 75-year-old Michael Eugene Mullen for the brutal 1973 rape and murder of a young woman who lived in San Rafael with her husband and two-year-old daughter.
 
“I am incredibly proud of the endless hours of behind the scenes work our Bureau of Forensic Services put into this case,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are hopeful that this arrest will bring justice and closure to this devastating case. Thank you to our partners at Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. This arrest proves that when we work together, we get results.”
 
In 2021, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office sought assistance from the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program to generate new leads in the cold case of Nina Fischer. Nina had been sexually assaulted and murdered in her San Rafael home in November 1973, while her husband was at work. The Familial Search Program worked for several months and provided a lead. This led to a three-year investigation and identified Michael Eugene Mullen from Idaho as the suspect. On August 14, 2024, Mullen was arrested by Marin County investigators, along with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police. He was taken to Lemhi County Jail and is now awaiting extradition to California for prosecution that will be handled by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
 
DOJ's Familial Search Program compares DNA from unsolved serious crimes against California’s Convicted Offender DNA Database to identify potential relatives of perpetrators. If a potential relative is identified, and if additional investigation by DOJ’s Bureau of Investigation supports the genetic information, an investigative lead is provided to law enforcement. DOJ’s Familial Search Program has provided investigate leads in 30 different cases since the genesis of the program in 2008. The program uses technology and comparison data that is distinct from Forensic Investigated Genetic Genealogy.
 
The Familial Search Program is one of many programs within DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS). BFS is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art accredited laboratory system servicing 46 of the state's 58 counties. BFS operates 10 regional crime laboratories for which forensic scientists collect, analyze, interpret, and compare physical evidence from suspected crimes. DNA casework analysis is performed at the Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory in Richmond, as well as regional laboratories located in Ripon, Fresno, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento, and Santa Barbara. The Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory also houses the DNA Databank, Missing Persons DNA Program, Method Development, and the aforementioned Familial Searching program. BFS services are provided at no cost to law enforcement agencies in the 46 counties.
 
A fact sheet outlining the work of the Bureau of Forensic Services can be found here.