A Sonoma County jury found James Oliver Unick, 66, guilty of the 1982 murder of 13-year-old Sarah Geer on February 13, 2026, nearly 44 years after the crime occurred. The conviction hinged on DNA evidence recovered from a discarded cigarette, linking Unick to the decades-old cold case.
Geer’s body was discovered the morning of May 24, 1982, by a firefighter walking home after his shift in Cloverdale, California, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. She had last been seen the previous evening leaving a friend’s home to walk downtown.
The initial investigation, conducted by the Cloverdale Police Department, stalled due to limitations in forensic science at the time. Prosecutors stated the case remained cold for decades despite ongoing efforts. A breakthrough came in 2003 when a criminalist with the California Department of Justice developed a DNA profile from sperm collected from Geer’s underwear, but the profile did not match anyone in existing law enforcement databases.
In 2021, the Cloverdale Police Department engaged a private investigation firm to re-examine the evidence using updated forensic techniques. This led to collaboration with the FBI, which utilized familial genealogical databases to identify potential suspects. The FBI determined the DNA profile belonged to one of four brothers, including James Unick.
Investigators then conducted surveillance on Unick and collected a cigarette he had discarded in July 2024. Subsequent DNA analysis confirmed the cigarette’s DNA matched the 2003 profile, as well as DNA found on clothing Geer was wearing at the time of her death, prosecutors said.
“While 44 years is too long to wait, justice has finally been served, both to Sarah’s loved ones as well as her community,” District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated. The conviction carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Unick is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2026.
The use of genetic genealogy in solving cold cases has gained prominence in recent years. Similar techniques led to the 2018 arrest of the Golden State Killer and have since been applied to resolve other long-unsolved murders in Wisconsin and Washington, according to reports.
