DNA ID Replay; The case of Lee Rotatori

Episode 169 DNA ID Replay; The case of Lee Rotatori

While Jess is on winter break preparing new episodes of DNA ID for 2026, we are airing some of our favorite one part episodes weekly in what we call 'DNA ID Replay' episodes. These Replay episodes will air every week while on break with the exception of Christmas week.

In this replay episode, we explore the case of Lee Rotatori which originally aired in episode 70.

In June 1982, Lee Rotatori was excited for the new job that meant a move to Council Bluffs, Iowa. But when Lee was found murdered in the Best Western there, police were stumped. The only clue was floral foam on the floor, and there were no suspects. Lee knew only a few people in town, and her husband was over 600 miles away when she was raped and stabbed in Room 106. Her case went cold. When forensic genealogy pointed to a man named Thomas Freeman as her killer, it just added to the mystery. Freeman had been murdered within weeks of Lee, and his killer was unknown. And, he had no connection whatsoever to Council Bluffs, or Lee. But he did have a connection to Carbondale, IL, where he lived 15 miles from Lee's husband Jerry Nemke – who had a history of his own.

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