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Michigan detectives solved the 40-year-old case of a 19-year-old woman who was found dead in a remote wooded area, using advanced forensic technology.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that with the help of advancements in DNA testing, detectives were able to determine who murdered Christina Castiglione in 1983.
Christina Castiglione was found strangled to death and sexually assaulted in March 1983. After 40 years of trying to find out who the killer was, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Michigan broke the case. (Livingston County Sheriff's Office)
On March 21, 1983, Castiglione’s mother reported that her daughter was missing. Eight days later, deputies responded to a report of a dead body in the Oak Grove State Game Area on Faussett Road in Deerfield Township.
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When the deputies arrived, they found the body of Castiglione, who was partially clothed and lying in the woods.
A preliminary investigation at the scene determined the victim was sexually assaulted and strangled to death, and during the autopsy, male DNA samples were collected and preserved.
But DNA technology in 1983 was not what it is today. In fact, it was not until the early 2000s that the samples were entered into the Michigan State Police Crime Lab’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.
The Livingston County Sheriff's Office said Charles David Shaw was identified as the man who killed a woman who was found sexually assaulted and strangled to death in March 1983. (Livingston County Sheriff's Office)
After nearly 40 years of pursuing and exhausting potential leads, detectives were able to use grant funding to conduct advanced DNA testing on the samples retrieved by the medical examiner.
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In May 2022, the samples were sent to Othram, Inc., a private forensic laboratory in Texas.
Scientists at the lab were able to take the DNA and create a comprehensive genealogical profile of the unknown suspect while also generating investigative leads that were sent to the Livingston County Cold Case Team.
The leads led detectives to the identification of Charles David Shaw as a suspect.
According to the Sheriff’s office, Shaw’s identity was confirmed by three separate familial DNA comparison tests.
Shaw died in November 1983, the Sheriff’s office said, and detectives were never able to find any ties between Shaw and Castiglione.
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Shaw’s family described him as a sex addict who struggled with mental illness and his gender identity, the sheriff’s office said, adding that he had several interactions with law enforcement officers starting at an early age.
In 1981, Shaw was arrested for allegedly attempting to abduct a woman in a McDonald’s parking lot.
"The cooperation of the Shaw family during the investigation was paramount to identifying Charles Shaw as the person responsible for the homicide of Christina Castiglione," the Sheriff’s office said. "We are hopeful that the surviving members of Christina Castiglione, along with victims and families of other violent unsolved crimes who have been awaiting justice for decades, experience closure as genealogical DNA continues to help law enforcement advance efforts to achieve justice for victims."
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Castiglione was described as a nice person, though not really interested in social functions. At the time of her disappearance, the sheriff’s office said, she lived with her mom and dad in Redford, Michigan, and although she was not married, she had a steady boyfriend.
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