Forensic Genetic Genealogy Leads To Murder Suspect's Arrest

Bowie MD

14 December, 2021

1:44 PM

Description

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Forensic genetic genealogy helped detectives track down a murder suspect three years after the stabbing death of 26-year-old Mathew Mickens-Murray at his home in Hyattsville. Brandon Biagas, 23, of Waldorf, has been sentenced to 30 years with all but 17 years suspended after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. When police conducted a welfare check on Mickens-Murray, they found him dead in the living room, having suffered 36 stab wounds and 15 cuts on his body. Investigators found unidentified DNA and fingerprint evidence at the crime scene that did not belong to the victim. The evidence was submitted to national and local databases that yielded no matches. The samples then were sent to a lab for further analysis. A family tree was established, which led investigators to identify Biagas as a possible source of the unidentified DNA at the crime scene. Detectives determined that Biagas and the victim had been in contact with each other through social media dating sites. It also was discovered that Biagas had checked himself into the Charles Regional Medical Center in LaPlata for a severe cut on his hand on the night of the murder. Further evidence was developed that led to Biagas' arrest in July 2020. Subsequent DNA testing showed that the unidentified blood and fingerprint at the crime scene belonged to Biagas, police said.