DNA Links Deceased Man to Two Cold Case Murders from 1990s

The man investigators now believe killed a 24-year-old mother of two and, five months later, a 16-year-old high school sophomore was not a stranger to at least one of his victims. Francis T. Schooley of Mantua Township had done construction work at the home of Jennifer Persia's stepfather and was a part owner of a mini race car sponsored by the stepfather's auto shop, Sterling Auto Shop. Schooley died by suicide in 2000 at age 39, never charged in either crime. Camden County prosecutors announced on April 9, 2026, that DNA evidence had finally put his name to both murders.

Marebeth Welsh, 24, of Woodlynne, was found dead just after 4 a.m. on November 14, 1993, on the 300 block of Jackson Street in Camden. She had been strangled, sexually assaulted, and placed at the scene after death, blood coming from her nose and the back of her clothing still dry despite rain that had fallen as recently as 3:30 that morning. She was a native of the Philippines, a mother of two, and worked at a popular local restaurant. DNA recovered from her clothing pointed to an unknown male; it matched no one in available databases at the time.

Five months later, Jennifer Persia was found dead on the living room floor of her Magnolia home. She was 16, a sophomore at Sterling High School, a saxophone player, and a member of the varsity track team. She had been beaten, bound at the neck with a ligature, and stabbed more than 20 times. As with Welsh, blood evidence from the Persia scene belonged to an unidentified male profile that went unmatched for decades.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office established its full-time Homicide Cold Case Unit in January 2024, specifically to revisit crimes that could benefit from modern DNA testing and genetic genealogy. Investigators resubmitted preserved evidence from both scenes for advanced analysis and the same unknown male DNA profile returned from both. Genealogical work narrowed the field to Schooley's family line, and in January 2026, detectives met with one of Schooley's parents and obtained buccal swabs. The analysis confirmed Schooley as the source of the DNA recovered from both crime scenes.

"Thanks to remarkable advances in DNA technology and diligent detective work, we have finally been able to bring answers to two families who have waited decades for justice," Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said at Thursday's press conference. On what the identification means to the families personally, MacAulay added: "Words almost can't describe what it means to the families. It settles that feeling deep inside. It gives them a semblance of peace."

Because Schooley is deceased, no charges can be filed; prosecutors confirmed that, had he been alive, they would have sought criminal charges in both murders. Officials said the identification may now prompt new inquiries into whether Schooley was connected to any other unsolved crimes from the same period, and encouraged anyone with additional information to come forward.