The 24 Year Old Stakeout

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Back in May 2001, Herman Wilder was killed outside his apartment with a literal wooden stake. Witnesses saw the whole thing, which is horrifying, but couldn't identify the attacker. Then, a guy actually confessed to the murder, but the police were certain that he hadn't done it.

[00:00:15]>> Come on, don't lie, man.

[00:00:18]I think you're lying. While the investigation hit a wall, Herman's 12-year-old great niece turned into a real-life Nancy Drew, calling the sheriff's office for over two decades to make sure nobody forgot. Fast forward 24 years, forensic genealogy, basically ancestry.com but for catching bad guys, entered the chat. They tested a vintage baseball cap and the DNA on that wooden stake, and it pointed directly to a man named Carol Dean Burl. Authorities say Burl had delusional and violent tendencies, which, yeah, the wooden stake kind of gave that away. But the twist, Burl died before they could put him in handcuffs. So, while there won't be a trial, there was finally closure.