BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff's Office is partnering with a private DNA laboratory to solve the 15-year-old murder of Juanita Francisco, a beloved baker who was killed in her own shop on Union Avenue in 2010.
Francisco was more than a business owner – she was known for her kindness and generosity in a rough area on South Union Avenue. Two days before Thanksgiving in 2010, she was brutally murdered while working alone. Fifteen years later, her children are still waiting for justice.
"She always saw the good in people. She was someone who was always willing to help you out if you needed help, and that's who she was to the world," her son Eddie said in a short documentary created by the Kern County Sheriff's Office about the case.
The Sheriff's Office is working with Othram, a private lab that partners with law enforcement agencies across the country. Colby Lasyone, the chief of staff for the lab, says they use STR DNA technology to identify victims or suspects of crimes by building comprehensive data sets rather than searching for just one.
"We build DNA profiles that are composed of hundreds of thousands of DNA markers, and these DNA profiles are used specifically in genealogical searches. And rather than matching to the specific identity of one individual, what we do is we use the DNA profile to determine the genetic relatives of the unknown person and build family trees," Lasyone said.
However, the private lab comes with a financial cost. KCSO Detective Ashley Sanchez says the testing of DNA in this cold case will rely on public donations to help the Francisco family get justice.
"In this specific case, I don't have a grant that allows for funding. So Othram was basically the best option for me, because anybody can go and donate. Once we reach those donations, they can test the evidence," Sanchez said.
Sanchez says the hope with the new test is to find a link to a suspect in the case and open the door for other cold cases.
"I believe it'll help us solve this case. It'll definitely give us a lead to go off of," Sanchez said.
“Were there any other cases that come to mind that could potentially be solved, or at least maybe identify a victim through this service? Or was this kind of the one specific case?” asked 23ABC
“No, I can think of a couple that we definitely want to use Othrum for,” said Sanchez.
To learn more about the Francisco Cold Case, Othrum has created a page on the website DNASolves.com regarding the case, and the Kern County Sheriff's Office has created a short documentary explaining why they're continuing to search for a suspect in the case.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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