MURDERED: Jodine Serrin Part 1

Summary

Crime Junkie Episode Summary

Episode: MURDERED: Jodine Serrin Part 1
Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Ashley Flowers & Brit Prawat

---

Overview

In this intense and haunting episode, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat delve deep into the Valentine's Day 2007 murder of Jodine Serrin, a 39-year-old woman with developmental disabilities living in Carlsbad, California. The episode not only details the nightmarish discovery made by Jodine's parents but also follows the decade-spanning investigation, the emergence of cutting-edge forensic and genealogical techniques, and the shocking truth behind the identity and double life of the killer. The story re-examines how advances in investigative genetic genealogy brought overdue answers—though not all the closure anyone hoped for.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Discovery (02:00–07:16)

• Valentine’s Day Visit: After an anxious dinner and movie, Art and Lois Serrin head to check on their daughter Jodine around 10PM, unable to reach her all day.
• Disturbing Entry: Finding the door chained—a rare occurrence—they break in and discover what at first appears to be Jodine in bed with a man. Upon returning, they find only Jodine, deceased and violently assaulted, her body cold and lifeless.
• Chilling Crime Scene:
  • The perpetrator meticulously arranged the scene: covered windows, a repositioned mirror, and Jodine’s body desecrated after death.
  • Ashley describes it as “one of the most haunting images that I've had to convey in probably over 600 episodes.” (02:11)
  • The assessment is that Jodine died around noon, hours before her parents arrived.

Early Investigation and Evidence (07:16–14:42)

• Immediate Police Response: DNA, blood, and partial fingerprints are collected, plus the killer's sneakers left at the door—placed neatly, following Jodine’s house rules.
• No Forced Entry: Indicates the killer was likely invited, with “dishes for two in the sink” suggesting possible consent or familiar company. (11:50)
• Art’s Initial Description: Art, Jodine’s father, initially believes he saw a “kind of chubby guy...about six feet tall” (12:52), but no suspects match DNA from the crime scene.
• Database Dead End: Despite viable DNA entered into national databases, “this dude is a ghost. He’s not in any database.” (13:41)

The Suspect Pool and The Frustration of a Cold Case (14:42–18:39)

• Widening the Net: Detectives exhaust a list of over 50 local men, collecting DNA samples, all yielding no match.
• Profiling Attempts: Consultants from groups like the VDOC Society lend their expertise, but the killer’s identity remains elusive, “the department-wide white whale.” (18:00)

Forensic Breakthroughs and Genealogy (19:56–25:56)

• Phenotyping with Parabon (2016): DNA imaging produces a composite “nondescript white guy with bluish green eyes, dirty blonde hair, fair skin, and some freckling” (21:07), but it doesn’t narrow things significantly.
• Y-STR Testing: Y-chromosome profiling suggests a last name—Miracle—but leads nowhere, hinting at possible adoptions or infidelities breaking the paternal line.
• Golden State Killer Moment (2018): Inspired by the GSK capture, investigators use Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) via GEDmatch, leading to a new shortlist of possible surnames.

The Final Reveal: The Mabrido Connection (27:07–41:48)

• Barbara Rae-Venter’s Expertise: The genealogist who helped crack the Golden State Killer case identifies a link between the Miracle and Mabrido families due to a double adoption.
• Focus on Three Men: The investigation zeroes in on Robert Mabrido and his sons, Steven and David, with a heavy focus on David.
• Gathering Family DNA: Police approach David’s ex-wife, Marissa, and son (under a pseudonym “Dan”) for DNA, initially cloaking their true suspicions. Marissa is stunned and resistant when the focus turns to David.
• Breakthrough Evidence: A pair of sneakers at the scene, recognized by Marissa as the pair she once bought David, solidifies the connection. “It’s a photo of the suspect's sneakers, of David's sneakers. And Marissa was sure of it because she was the one who bought those sneakers for him.” (35:49)
• David's Suicide and a Critical Clue: David died by suicide in 2011, after giving a DNA swab to police due to a mistaken-identity bank robbery. His bizarre behavior in the days after the swab, like “rubbing spices all over his face,” retrospectively hints at paranoia about being identified. (38:41)
• Direct DNA Match: The 2011 swab, finally tested, is an exact match for the DNA at the crime scene. After 11 years, the case is finally solved.

Unanswered Questions and Emotional Fallout (41:48–44:16)

• No Known Connection: “His name never so much as came up in the case file...not on their radar at all” (40:50). No proven link between Jodine and David, though possible overlap at a nearby substance abuse clinic remains speculation.
• Family Impact: The episode concludes on the emotional toll this knowledge takes on David’s ex-wife Marissa. In an upcoming paired episode on The Deck, listeners will hear Marissa’s story in her own words, revealing the incomprehensible struggle to reconcile the man she knew with the horror of his crime.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ashley Flowers, on finding Jodine:
  “What was done to the victim and how she was found is truly one of the most haunting images that I've had to convey in probably over 600 episodes at this point.” (02:11)
• On killer’s methodical nature:
  “Sheets and blankets had been placed over the windows...a full length mirror was moved next to the bed so this guy could see what it was he was doing to Jody.” (07:54)
• On DNA dead ends:
  “But any hopes of a quick slam dunk get crushed. Because even though they had the DNA...this dude is a ghost. He’s not in any database.” (13:41)
• Ashley on the power—and limitations—of new forensic tech:
  “So Jodi’s case was actually the first time that Carlsbad PD ever used this kind of technology. And Lieutenant Kovanda says he’s sort of treating the composite as a filter.” (20:23)
• Brit, on the agony of cold case stasis:
  “And it’s so much more frustrating when you have all this DNA on file and...they’ve already tested it against 50 guys and the database, and like, and nothing is hitting.” (18:26)
• Ashley, on confronting family with the ugly truth:
  “If you want to get something solved like the GSK case, why not go to the exact person who helped solve it, and that is Barbara Rae Venter.” (27:07)
• Marissa, grappling with revelation:
  “He was my family. He’s my son’s dad, gave me the best thing in the world and did the most horrific thing to somebody in the world. I don’t know how to reconcile those two.” (43:39)

---

Timestamps for Significant Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|------------| | Introductions & Warnings | 02:00 | | Art & Lois discover Jodine’s body | 02:00–07:16| | Crime scene details and forensic clues | 07:47–10:17| | Initial investigation, elimination of suspects| 11:50–14:42| | Use of DNA phenotyping and genealogy | 19:56–25:56| | Golden State Killer and IGG context | 24:30–25:56| | Barbara Rae Venter and genealogy breakthrough| 27:07–31:37| | Approaching the Mabrido family | 31:37–38:52| | Discovery of the 2011 DNA swab; direct match| 39:56–40:45| | Aftermath, unanswered questions, family pain| 41:48–44:16| | Marissa’s emotional reflection | 43:39–44:16|

---

Tone & Style

• The episode maintains Crime Junkie’s signature measured yet suspenseful storytelling, balancing empathy for the victim’s family with curiosity about the unfolding investigation.
• Ashley’s delivery is somber, direct, and respectful, ensuring listeners understand both the horror of the crime and the human cost involved.
• Brit offers empathetic, grounding reactions, often voicing the audience’s emotional response and practical curiosities.

---

Conclusion

This episode is a compelling case study in forensic persistence, technological evolution, and the devastating ripples of violent crime through families and communities. The story is unresolved in many ways—not all questions are answered, but the journey to truth stands as a testament to hope, science, and never giving up, no matter how cold the trail.

To hear Marissa Mabrido’s perspective, listeners are pointed to a companion episode on The Deck podcast, providing an intimate exploration of what it means to discover evil in someone you thought you knew.

---

For further resources and source material, visit crimejunkiepodcast.com.

---

[All commercial breaks, advertisements, and promotional segments were omitted from this summary.]

Transcript

[Ashley Flowers]

Some cases fade from headlines, some never made it there to begin with. I'm Ashley Flowers and on my podcast the Deck, I tell you the stories of cold cases featured on playing cards distributed in prisons designed to spark new leads and bring long overdue justice. Because these stories deserve to be heard and the loved ones of these victims still deserve answers, are you ready to be dealt in? Listen to the Deck now. Wherever you get your podcasts, they say if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. At Amica Insurance, we know what matters most to you and we work even harder to protect it. Together. As a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers and prioritize your needs. Amica empathy is our best policy. Visit amica.com and get a quote.

[Britt]

Today it's Wednesday. Adams, I see you're trying to distract yourself from your own banal thoughts. Let me help. Here's a recording thing made of my.

[Ashley Flowers]

Latest Root Canal Wednesday. Season 2 is now playing only on Netflix.

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

Your home should show off who you are telling your story in every detail, meeting you where you are. Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home. Pairing eye catching design with features like stain resistant performance fabric, Ashley offers well crafted, affordable pieces built to stand up to real life. Plus they provide fast, reliable white glove delivery right to your door. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style.

[Ashley Flowers]

Hi crime junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt and I have a story today that is going to stay with you. And be warned, it is not for the faint of heart. What was done to the victim and how she was found is truly one of the most haunting images that I've had to convey in probably over 600 episodes at this point. But I am going to walk you through it all. From the night of the murder on Valentine's Day 2007 to the brand new forensic techniques used today to identify the killer, and ultimately to the chilling realization that our suspect was leading a double life. On one hand, he was moving about the world like you and I, acting out the part of father, partner and friend. He lived and worked in the very town where he also took on the role of monster, a man who set up a crime scene in a way that allowed him to watch as he desecrated the corpse of a young woman he'd killed in her own apartment. This is the story of Jodine Sarin. It's Valentine's Day 2007 and even after 53 years of marriage, Art and Lois Serrin don't skip out on a chance for a romantic date, night of dinner and a movie to celebrate. They try to plan a day just for themselves. Because like many parents, decades of their lives have been consumed with taking care of their sick six kids. And even more so for them because their youngest daughter, 39 year old Jodine, who goes by Jody, she had developmental disabilities that we're told gave her the mental capacity of a girl in her early teens. And Jody lived on her own. But in many ways she was still dependent on her parents. They checked in on her every day, they helped her get from place to place because she didn't drive. But on this day they hadn't been able to get a hold of her. 72 year old Lois tried pushing it out of her mind, like just one day where she and her husband could just focus on themselves. It wouldn't be the end of the world. But all through dinner it was like nagging at her. And as she sat in the dark of the movie theater, she just couldn't focus on the screen. With every scene change, she just grew more and more anxious till she couldn't take it anymore. Like what's the point of being there if she can't actually enjoy it? Whatever feeling was crawling under her skin, she like just had to give in. So mid movie, she and Art leave the theater. It's around 10pm when the Serens get to Jody's condo. At first they knock and wait, expecting to hear their daughter's footsteps, see the knob turn, but there's nothing. So Art pulls out his spare key, unlocks the door and tries to push it open, but it barely budges. The chain is latched from the inside. And this stops them cold because Jody never chains her door. And now the Serens are starting to panic. So at 77 years old, Art throws himself against the door and breaks it down. Now the lights are on inside the condo and the Serens head straight for their daughter's bedroom. Art opens the door and even though the room is dark, in the shadows he sees two people in bed. It looks like Jody with a man and it looks like they're having sex. And he's obviously taken aback, probably a little embarrassed, probably mad at whoever this man is. So he quickly shuts the door and calls out is basically like, listen, you need to get decent. You both need to come out to the living room. We are gonna be here waiting for you. And honestly I would probably be stewing a little bit, but a few Minutes go by and then some more, and no one comes out to join Art and Lois in the living room, not even Jody. So I don't know if it's stewing as much as it is. Just like something's wrong. Like they're getting curious. Something's going on. So Art gets up to check again, just to, like, nudge the two along. But this is when everything shifts. Not just like his perception of things, but it's like Art's whole world flips on its axis. In this moment and forever, his life is going to be changed. When he opens the door, the man isn't in Jody's room anymore. It is just his daughter laying naked and lifeless on the bed, covered in blood. She's not breathing. She's actually cold to the touch. All of which Art tells to a 911 operator in a frantic call. Based on their recommendation, he moves Jodi from the bed to the floor to begin cpr. But there is no saving her. And when first responders get to the scene, it is, quote, immediately clear to them that Jodi is dead. And given the state of her body, she has likely been dead for several hours, way before the Serens even got to her condo.

[Britt]

So it's not like Art could have stopped anything when they got there.

[Ashley Flowers]

No, the medical examiner will end up determining that Jody died around noon that day. So almost 10 hours before they got there. Which I imagine has to be some relief. Like, I mean, to even for a moment think that you were just sitting feet away as someone killed your daughter would be mental torture. But then there's that relief for a second. But you also then have to reconcile what it was you actually walked in on.

[Britt]

Right.

[Ashley Flowers]

Which was this man desecrating Jodie's corpse. And in that moment, I don't know how much relief there is in that.

[Britt]

Yeah. And they were all in the apartment, like, at the same time. Did this guy escape through a window or something?

[Ashley Flowers]

No. So the way that Jodie's condo is laid out, it's kind of split down the middle by a divider. So when you walk in the front door, you can either turn one way and go to the bedroom, or you can turn the other way and get to the kitchen and living room. Oh, so with the Seren sitting in the living room, this guy could run right out of the front door without them actually even knowing. And investigators use bloodhounds to track the man sent from the condo out the front door, down Jody street, all the way to a main road, where he tossed his sweatshirt into a Bush. But then that's where the sense stops. Their man is long gone. But he did leave plenty behind at the scene. And not just physical evidence. There is evidence of how devious and methodical this man was. I mean, it is clear that he took his time setting up this crime scene in exactly the way he wanted. Sheets and blankets had been placed over the windows in Jody's room, and a full length mirror was moved next to the bed so this guy could see what it was he was doing to Jody. He had beaten her over the head, strangled her. But she must have fought back because she had defensive wounds and bruising all over. And along with sexually assaulting her corpse, the man also inflicted at least one cut, a laceration across her throat. That likely happened post mortem. This guy clearly had a plan around what he was doing to Jody. But her parents busting her front door down was obviously not part of the plan. And in his hurry to leave, he made some mistakes. First of all, there is blood all over Jody's room and in the bathroom, on the walls, the carpet, the linens. I mean, it's everywhere, as is his DNA and tons of partial fingerprints. And in his rush to sneak out without being seen by Jody's parents, he'd even left his sneakers behind. And these sneakers actually end up being a major clue because they weren't just, like, kicked off randomly. They had been taken off and neatly placed next to the rest of Jody's shoes by the front door, which is where Jody always instructed her guests to remove and place their shoes before coming inside. Like Jodi was, like, super neat and tidy, especially when it came to her place. So this tells investigators that whoever killed Jody must have been invited in.

[Britt]

Most security systems only take action after someone breaks in that's reactive and often too late. Simplisafe is different. Their new active guard outdoor protection helps stop break ins before they happen. And that's the crucial difference. AI powered cameras plus live monitoring agents detect suspicious activity around your property. If someone's lurking, agents talk to them in real time, turn on spotlights, and can call the police proactively deterring crime before it starts. It's why more than 4 million Americans trust Simplisafe to protect their homes. Me and my family love Simplisafe because it has everything we need to make us feel safe. From entry sensors to an easy to use keypad for easy activation, to all of it being monitored around the clock by trained professionals who can send help the instant we need it. Visit simplisafe.com crimejunkie to claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's simplisafe.com crimejunkie there's no safe like Simplisafe.

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

Your home should show off who you are, telling your story in every detail, meeting you where you are. Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home. Pairing eye catching design with features like stain resistant performance fabric, Ashley offers well crafted, affordable pieces that built to stand up to real life. Plus they provide fast reliable white glove delivery right to your door. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style.

[Ashley Flowers]

Aside from Art's own work on the condo door, there were no signs of forced entry to Jody's place. And there were even dishes for two in the sink, which made it seem like things had started out friendly with whoever this person was before they took an unthinkable turn.

[Britt]

Well, and it is like Valentine's Day. Like dishes for two seems kind of like a date date.

[Ashley Flowers]

Ish. But whatever this started off as like, given the state of the condo and the story that the evidence told, it seemed like, like almost in an instant things switched from good to bad. The change from neatly arranged shoes and dishes placed in the sink to rage filled violence in the bedroom suggested to detectives very early on that drug use may have been a part of the picture, but it would only have been on the part of the offender because Jodi's parents were clear she did not use drugs and her autopsy would later confirm that.

[Britt]

Now I know it was dark and like obviously traumatic on multiple levels, but was Art able to see what this guy looked like at all when he first saw him in Jody's bedroom?

[Ashley Flowers]

So in initial interviews he actually claims to have gotten a good look at the suspect. Like enough to say that he was 5, 8 to 6ft tall, a little chubby. And I think his brain was like trying to fill in the gaps because early on he was even convinced that it was someone Jody knew, someone specific named Robert Burns. This was a guy that had similar developmental disabilities as Jody. They used to have some sort of relationship at some point which would have put them together, maybe on Valentine's Day. But investigators quickly rule Robert out because of his alibi. And they would later confirm it definitely wasn't him because his DNA did not match what was left at the crime scene. And with him ruled out, then all they've got is like a description of a kind of chubby guy who's about six feet tall.

[Britt]

Well, and like you said, like, all this DNA and that.

[Ashley Flowers]

But any hopes of a quick slam dunk get crushed. Because even though they had the DNA and DNA that's good enough to go into the state and national databases, this dude is a ghost. He's not in any database. Because, like, this is a case where we don't have a lot of these, where it's like, what, 2007, you can put it in. The database is there, the database is populated, People know how it works, and still he doesn't exist.

[Britt]

Which seems bonkers to me. I know, because of how, like you said, methodical this was. It doesn't feel like a first time.

[Ashley Flowers]

Like, how it's a shock to everyone. I mean, the only thing I think they assume is that, like, whatever this guy has done, he just hasn't gotten caught for it. Because nothing about this, like you said, is giving, like, first time offender. Yeah. But also, like, I kept thinking, I wonder what the crime scene would have looked like had this man not been interrupted. Was he planning on cleaning up? Would he have even left Jodie there? Like, we usually talk about mo based on what's been left behind, but maybe.

[Britt]

He wouldn't have left anything exactly behind if he had had enough time.

[Ashley Flowers]

Exactly. Jody's dad could have completely changed the trajectory of things. Like, dude didn't even have time to put on his shoes. So what else did he not have time to do? So they've got to find someone who's not in a database who Jody either knew or recently met and would willingly let into her home. They start by building out the timeline of her last known movements. The last confirmed contact Jodi had with anyone was a phone call with her mom on the 13th. So just the day before. And she'd actually told her mom on the phone that she was planning to go to a Valentine's Day party on the 14th. But we know she never made it to that party. There were several voicemails from people wondering where she was.

[Britt]

Do they think that she met up with this guy on the 14th? Or, I mean, is it possible that he was actually there on the 13th? Like, her time of death is noon on the 14th, but, I mean, I have to wonder how long they were together before that happened.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, that's the big question. When did she meet him and where? Now, interestingly, they come to learn that while Jody didn't have a full time job, she was very involved in volunteer work and would help out at nursing homes or facilities for people with similar developmental disabilities. And one of the facilities that she would go to was co located with a substance abuse treatment place, which, considering their early theory that the offender was on drugs, they begin to wonder if maybe she crossed paths with someone around there and not even necessarily that day, because she wasn't volunteering on the 14th.

[Britt]

Right. But maybe someone saw her, had been following her, had had some contact before.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. Or even just ran into her another time, and then on this day was like, yeah, hey, remember me? Whatever. Because the other thing about Jody, she was trusting very overly, people say trusting of strangers. I mean, she was the kind of person who saw everyone as a friend and was so innocent in her thinking. So detectives actually hear that Jodie would have let anybody into her home, which.

[Britt]

Makes those, like, neatly placed shoes and dishes a little less. Like, they mean less.

[Ashley Flowers]

Right, right. It just had to be, in my mind, someone that was, like, nice to her. Right. To start out. But we know that switch from good to bad happened really quick. And unfortunately, knowing this now makes narrowing down a suspect pool early on nearly impossible. So detectives spend the first weeks of their investigation making a Hail Mary list of anyone and everyone who could possibly be responsible people in the area, people Jodi was associated with or might have crossed paths with, people they're tipped off to. I mean, There are over 50 men on this list, and they go out and knock on all these guys doors, they swab every single one of them and send each and every swab to the lab for comparison, but there are no matches. And when they reach the bottom of their list, there really aren't any other obvious directions for investigators to go in. By this point, the case has been highly publicized as the, quote, Valentine's Day murder. Tips are coming in by the hundreds, but, like, nothing is panning out. So at one point, detectives even reach out to the VDOC society, which is a group of retired, like, detectives, FBI agents, forensic experts, whatever. Like, basically, they bring together anyone who's, like, an expert in their field. They're located in Pennsylvania, and they take on some of the coldest, most baffling murder cases that no one else can crack. They'll come in and consult for you. You have to present your case or whatever. But even they don't have a magic wand. I mean, they can suggest what type of offender this guy is, maybe confirm that some of the theories police had are probably right, but they can't make this guy materialize.

[Britt]

And it's so much more frustrating when you have all this DNA on file and, like, I want to say no one, but no one else. Right. Like, they've already tested it against 50 guys and the database, and, like, and nothing is hitting.

[Ashley Flowers]

I know. So this is the same story that we know and hate. Weeks turn into months and then turn into years. And then with every day that passes, they just hope and pray that their guy will slip up and his DNA will get collected. Until then, this case just kinda ends up looming over Carlsbad PD as it gets passed from one detective to the next and the next, and it becomes sort of the department wide white whale. Everybody wants to see this thing get solved and they try everything. A $52,000 reward, pleas to the media. Per the San Diego Union Tribune, Jody's family even puts her cold case information on display in public buses just in case there's someone out there with info. Like, if there is someone out there with info, though, they are holding on tight to their secret. But lucky for police, we are about to hit an era of investigating where DNA can do all the talking. In 2016, this is now nine years after Jodi's murder. A new detective takes over the case. Lieutenant Eric Kovanda. And this is just after the PD decided to tap Parabon Nanolabs in Virginia to do forensic phenotyping with the DNA sample they have. Now, I know we've touched on this before, but for, like, our new crime junkies. Britt, would you mind?

[Britt]

Obviously, the phenotype composites can predict a suspect's eye color, hair color, skin tone, even, like, facial structure based on the DNA makeup. There are obviously, like, a ton of other factors at play that might make someone look different.

[Ashley Flowers]

Right. Like weight, facial hair.

[Britt]

Right. And like, substance use can change your appearance, but this gives police kind of like a baseline of some key characteristics that they can at least use to, like, help rule people in or out. Like eye color. That's pretty. Like, cut and dry.

[Ashley Flowers]

Exactly. So Jody's case was actually the first time that Carl's bad PD ever used this kind of technology. And Lieutenant Kovanda says he's sort of treating the composite as a filter. It might not look exactly like the suspect, but if a person of interest pops up with, like, you said, a different eye color, different hair color, skin color, he can at least, like, rule people out much quicker. Right. So they get this composite back, and Lieutenant Kovanda literally says it looks like every other surfer dude out there right.

[Britt]

Now, which I've seen a lot of the Parabon composites, and they kind of do just look like a guy.

[Ashley Flowers]

They all blend into the same person. It was like, very cool. The first couple of times we saw.

[Britt]

It, and they're like, it's just the same dude.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. Eventually we're like, got it. So truly, you are just looking for, like, color of, like, eyes, hair, something like that. So, yeah, they end up getting this sort of nondescript white guy with bluish green eyes, dirty blonde hair, fair skin, and some freckling. But the trick is they do have the ability to make some tweaks using the information that they have or based on their theories. Like substance use. Right. You said was a part of the profile. And substance use usually alters someone's appearance. So Kolvanda had the lab increase the composite's bmi, had him age him a little bit, adding, like, deeper creases, a five o' clock shadow. So that's the photo that they released to the public on the 10th anniversary of Jody's murder. And they do this on the steps of the San Diego courthouse, and immediately tips start pouring in, tips that they probably had, like, not in a way that they've seen in a long time. But even with this influx of new information, nothing pans out. Still, this new technology has really gotten Lieutenant Kovanda's wheels turning. He's made a lot of connections by that point with people in, like, the DNA science world. And he's learning about all of the other ways that they can use DNA to get more info, info like a suspect's name, with something called YSTR profiling, which. That's a method used to analyze DNA on the Y chromosome. And that is what's passed down from father to son, virtually unchanged. And since last names are also typically passed down the paternal line, Y profiling testing can be used to predict a person by their last name by comparing their Y profile to entries already in DNA databases. But you have to remember that there are certain limitations when it comes to this kind of testing. Things that can break the pattern, like infidelity or genetic mutations or adoption. Or adoption. Right. That's actually one of the most common. But listen, take what you can get, right? And then we'll figure out the next steps from there. So this, again, is like a first for Carlsbad pd. This is the first time they're ever using this kind of technology as well. And they do get a last name after all the YSTR work miracle. Which, of course, is like a detective right out of CSI Miami taking off his sunglasses and, like, squinting into the sun. You can, like, see it, right?

[Britt]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Ashley Flowers]

These detectives could not help themselves. They begin saying, it's gonna take A miracle to solve this one. Okay, Pilates board meeting and find new tires.

[Buick Commercial Voice]

Here are the top 20 tires for mid size SUVs.

[Ashley Flowers]

Top 20.

[Buick Commercial Voice]

You have enough to do without becoming a tire expert. Buick certified service technicians are factory trained to fit your vehicle with the tire specifically developed for it. And with our tire price match guarantee, you get the best fit for the best deal. The to do list is endless, but your energy isn't. Let us do the work. Buick exceptional by design. Available on select eligible tire brands at participating dealers only. Offer ends 1231. 25 terms apply. Seat dealer. For complete details, visit buick.comservice to learn more.

[Ashley Flowers]

Detectives spend the coming year looking for their miracle. But it turns out there was no one they could find with that last name who also fit the composite sketch. So it was looking more and more like one of those pattern breakers happened in this family line. Infidelity, adoption, something. But in the year or less that it's taken to feel pretty sure of this, guess what happens? 2018 is upon us.

[Britt]

Oh, and with all this science talk, you're talking about the Golden State Killer.

[Ashley Flowers]

Golden State Killer gets caught using the most current version of what we all now know as igg, Investigative genetic genealogy. You know, Golden State dude left his DNA all over crime scenes, but he. He, like this one, wasn't in the database. So instead of looking for the offender himself, GSK investigators decided to look for distant family members whose DNA might be on file in public databases like GEDmatch, and then create this extensive family tree that might connect back to their suspect. Now, when they started down this path, it took them four months to catch a serial killer and rapist who eluded them for decades. So when Lieutenant Kovanda sees this, this gets his gears spinning. Forget turning. They are, like, almost smoking, right? Like, here he is working on another case where the offender's DNA is all over the crime scene and a full profile is in codis. But they just keep striking out. So Kovanda starts doing his homework, trying to figure out if he could make use of the same techniques. And it just so happens that around the same time, this is May of 2018, the lab that did the initial phenotyping for Jody's case comes back to Carl's bad PD and basically says, like, hey, by the way, we've still got your offender's DNA on file from that test that we did last year. Do you want us to evaluate it using igg?

[Britt]

Yes, please.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes, please. Exactly. Like, you do not have to ask twice.

[Britt]

Yeah.

[Ashley Flowers]

So they do this. They get the blessing. And just two months later, the lab reaches back out. Lieutenant Kovanda says he literally gets on a zoom call with them where they share their screen. They're showing what he calls a hasty family tree, which basically shows the closest connections and the most recent common ancestors associated with the DNA sample. Now, it's not one name. There are a few possibilities, but now it's up to Carl's bad PD to run each one of these down.

[Britt]

Okay, and of these names, like, are any of them miracles like the YSTR suggested?

[Ashley Flowers]

Surprisingly, no. Lieutenant Kovanda actually said that the lab wasn't really focusing on the miracle last name. And, you know, when they got a few of them back, they. There were some that they discounted pretty quickly. Like there was one last name Mabrito, that they just kind of brushed aside for a couple of reasons. Like they. They told the detective, A, Mabrido is of Italian origin and the offender's DNA suggested someone of Northern European descent. And B, they're like, this Mobbrito guy is dead.

[Britt]

So dead before 2007.

[Ashley Flowers]

No, he was alive in 2007. But this is why it is always good to gut check yourself, not to get too tied up in what you expect something to be, because basically investigators get all the way to the end of the list of all these last names and people that the lab really thought it could be, and they still have nothing to show for it. But Lieutenant Kovanda is not willing to give up just yet. If you want to get something solved like the GSK case, why not go to the exact person who helped solve it, and that is Barbara Rae Venter. Barbara isn't a cop. She's not a detective. She is a retired 70 year old patent lawyer who just happens to be really, really good at genealogy, which she only discovered after retiring, by the way, when she started mapping her own heritage as a hobby. And that hobby quickly turned into volunteering as a search angel. That's someone who helps adoptees find their biological parents by creating family trees from DNA. And when she got really good at that, police departments started calling. So Lieutenant Kovanda gets ahold of Barbara's number, and while he's in Northern California trying to get some more reference DNA samples for Jody's case, he calls her up and invites her to breakfast with him and this other investigator from the DA's office named Tony Johnson. She says, sure. So they go to breakfast together in what Barbara describes as this total hole in the wall, and they're eating eggs and pancakes and talking about genealogy. And Lt. Kovanda says it's just like mind confetti for him because all the labs he'd spoken to before had basically just told him how much he should pay them and how long it would take. But here is Barbara totally, like, pulling back the curtain, explaining her entire process.

[Britt]

And does she agree to take on the case?

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes. Yes. After this meeting, Lieutenant Kovanda gives Barbara access to the offender's DNA profile in Gedmatch and she goes to work.

[Britt]

So is her process different than that original lab?

[Ashley Flowers]

It's the same. She's just better at it. Because interestingly, Barbara actually comes back to Govanda with a name that was on the first labs list. Wait, my Britto, My Brito. That's the one that the other lab had totally discounted. But Barbara is saying this, she believes is where Carl's bad PD needs to spend their time, because this last name actually does have a connection to get this, the Miracle last name. What? Yeah, because when Barbara looks deep into the genealogy, she sees a double adoption in the Miracle family. So basically, at some point, a man with the last name Miracle had a son named Robert who was adopted and took on the Italian last name, Mabrito. Robert then has two sons of his own, Steven, who gets adopted, and David, who carried on the Mabrito last name.

[Britt]

So it could potentially be Steven or.

[Ashley Flowers]

David or even their dad. Robert Kovanda is going to need DNA from all three to be sure, but he is feeling so confident, in a matter of like a year, he went from an endless pool pool of suspects to three. Now, as it turns out, both Steven and David were deceased at this point. They both died after Jody's murder, so that doesn't rule them out, but it does make getting their DNA slightly more challenging. Or at least it might have. You see, Stephen passed away in an accident in 2017, which meant that his DNA was actually still on file at the medical examiner's office. So they get it, they run it, they run. And it's not Steven. As for the dad, Robert, he was totally estranged from his sons and living in a different area at the time of the murder. Plus, just looking at his age and capability, like they didn't think they were necessarily compatible with the specific manner of the crime, which really, like, if they're gonna look at anyone, their next person they wanna look at is David. Now they find out he passed away in 2011 and his DNA is nowhere to be found. But he does have an ex wife and an 18 year old son that are both still living right there in Carlsbad. So Kovanda gets this idea to have the lab do a sort of paternity test where they could use the ex wife's DNA, the son's DNA, to basically reconstruct David's. But obviously, like, he's gonna need permission for that. And at this point, no one in the Mabrido family even knows that police are like, going down this road.

[Britt]

Can you imagine the police showing up at your door and being like, hey, we think your ex husband did this absolutely horrific thing 10 years ago. Not every knew about it.

[Ashley Flowers]

Every time there's an igg solve, yes, I do imagine this specific thing. Exactly. But they, at least in this case, they're a little like more surreptitious than that. So on the evening of October 26, 2018, Lieutenant Kovanda and Tony Johnson, they show up at the home of David's ex, Marissa Mobrito. It's actually Marissa and David's son who answers the door. And we're going to use a pseudonym for him and call him Dan. So Dan answers the door, he goes to get his mom, who is out in the backyard having an after work drink. And he says, there are some Carlsbad detectives here and they want to talk to you. And of course mom's first thought is like, oh, my God, what did my kid do? You know what I mean? But right away, when she goes inside and talks to the detectives, they put that thought out of her mind. First thing they say is, nobody's in trouble. We're here to investigate a cold case. Now, Marissa's totally confused, but she agrees to sit down with them. And that's when they start explaining the details of Jody's case. Now, because Jody's story got so much coverage, Marissa sort of remembered hearing about it, but in her mind at this point, she's like asking the question, right? Like, what is any of this? Yeah, why are you here with me? Right. And this is when Lt. Kovanda starts explaining all of the genetic genealogy work that he's been doing. But the way that they were explaining it, I think it maybe seemed like they were looking for either a cousin or an uncle.

[Britt]

Relative.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, a relative of David's dad, even. Not even David. So she's not thinking in this moment that her ex husband has anything to do with this crime. And so Marissa starts giving investigators David's whole family history. She says that his heritage was actually.

[Britt]

Somewhat complicated, which they obviously kind of know already.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yep. And she confirms the double adoption stuff, the miracle last name, and then she eventually tells them that David took his own life unexpectedly in 2011. That's how he died. And when she's done laying everything out, they're like, okay, well, would you and your son be willing to give your DNA to rule you out of, like, this whole situation? And obviously, both Marisa and Dan are like, yeah, totally.

[Britt]

But investigators want to use this DNA to confirm David's involvement.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. And it's not totally clear to me if they're, like, trying to skirt around the truth a little bit or if Marissa doesn't totally understand the gravity of why they're asking this. Because I do know that, like, when they first brought up David's name during the visit, Marissa got really upset. And she straight up says, like, if you think David did this, you need to get the out of my house. You're out of your mind.

[Britt]

Oh, so they might have, like, backed off.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. So after that, seems like all the questions kind of focus more on just, like, David's family. But looking back, you can see why they might have wanted to use any means necessary to get her to talk. Because every suspicion they had, every DNA clue, led them to the right David. And when the results came back on Dan and Marissa's DNA, the lab says they are confident David is their guy. David murdered Jodine Sarina. But before Kovanda is going to tell this to Marissa, before he even tells Jody's family, he wants to be 110% certain. I mean, this information is going to totally upend both families lives. Right. So he wants to go back to Marissa one more time. And this time around, his questions are a bit different. They are more pointed. He wants to know about Marissa's relationship with David. He wants to know about their sex life. Life. And he's got Jody's case file with him, and he's taking everything down in a notebook. And Marissa in this second one, she's starting to get really frustrated. She's like, all of these questions are about David and not his family. Like, do you think he did this? And the reality must be setting in, because she starts hyperventilating. And that's when she sees it. One of the images Kovanda brought with him from Jody's file is visible. It's from the crime scene, and it's not anything graphic, but it makes her sick to her stomach nonetheless, because it's a photo of the suspect's sneakers, of David's sneakers. And Marissa was sure of it because she was the one who bought those sneakers for him.

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

Your home should show off who you are telling your Story in every detail. Meeting you where you are. Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home. Pairing eye catching design with features like stain resistant performance fabric, Ashley offers well crafted, affordable pieces built to stand up to real life. Plus, they provide fast, reliable white glove delivery right to your door. Visit your local Ashley store or head to Ashley.com to find your style.

[Ashley Flowers]

Investigators obviously noticed Marissa's reaction to the sneakers. And so they ask her, do these look familiar? And in that moment, she says, no, it's a lie. But I mean, she can barely process what's going on, and her mind just immediately goes to her son. She's like, how in the world am I gonna tell this to Dan? And so she really just says no to buy herself some time. Like, she has a ton to digest. And even though she's totally flustered, she doesn't kick investigators out of her house or anything. She continues answering their questions about her and David's life together, their separation, and then ultimately David's untimely death in 2011. And as she's telling them this story of the days and events leading up to his death, something clicks for both her and police kind of at the same time. You see, she had never known why David took his own life. He didn't leave behind a note, nothing. I mean, his poor son is the one who found him when he and his mom came back from a trip. David was actually staying with them at the time, sleeping on the couch. And Dan found his dad dead of an overdose. That ends up getting ruled a suicide. They never knew why. But now she's realizing maybe this was why. Because Marissa tells investigators that a week before David took his own life, there was this incident that happened. He was driving in Oceanside, which is just the town over from Carlsbad, when his truck broke down. So he's behind his truck trying to push it, when an officer from Oceanside PD stopped him and said that he matched the description of a suspect that they had in an Oceanside bank robbery. So the officer asks him, would you be willing to give your DNA? And David consented to that. Officer took an oral swab, got a photo of David, lets him go. And it's after this that David began to spiral. Marissa says, I mean, he spent the next week freaking out, acting super strange. And I don't mean just like general anxiety. He was losing it. At one point, he was like, even rubbing spices all over his face.

[Britt]

What?

[Ashley Flowers]

And at the time, he tried to say it was like helping him with headaches or like fine lines or something. But even then, Marissa knew that something was off. Like, this isn't normal behavior for him or for anyone.

[Britt]

But at the time, she's not connecting it to anything.

[Ashley Flowers]

No, I mean, like, she knew about the stop and the DNA swab and, like, she knew that that happened, but I guess she really didn't think anything of it at the time. I mean, it's not like she's thinking David's DNA is going to connect him to the brutal murder from a couple of years before. And she didn't even make the connection after his death. Because, by the way, the whole bank robbery thing, that really had nothing to do with David. And because of that, guess what? They never had to run David's swab or put it into codis, which is probably the very thing David feared so much that it drove him to suicide. So it's not till now, sitting with Lieutenant Kovanda in her house, seeing the photo of David's sneakers at the crime scene, that Marissa is starting to put the pieces together. And so is Lieutenant Kulvanda. But his mind is spinning for a different reason. Because if Oceanside PD still has David's DNA from that 2011 swab, he might be able to do a direct comparison with the DNA found at Jody's crime scene. And sure enough, by some miracle is the magic word for this episode, Ocean's IPD has it.

[Britt]

Oh, my God.

[Ashley Flowers]

So on November 7th, Kovanda sends the sample to the lab to be tested for the first time since it was taken seven years ago. It takes two days for the results to come back. And when they do, it is a match. Which means that Now Kovanda is 110% sure he can finally tell the Sarins that after 11 years, the wait is over. And they were so close to losing hope. But finally, they know who that man was in Jody's room that Valentine's day back in 2007. Now, detectives can't give them every answer, like where Jodie might have come into contact with this guy or why he even attacked her.

[Britt]

Well, that was gonna be my next question. Did David have any connection to her? There was nothing.

[Ashley Flowers]

None that they can find. Like so many of the IGG solves that we've seen over the years, his name never so much as came up in the case file from even a random tip. Like, this guy was not on their radar at all. Now, they did find out that in the past, he'd abused drugs. Marissa thought he'd been clean and sober like her for years. When they were raising their son together. And even after they split up, she was, like, letting him stay at her place on her couch. But it's very possible he was using again. Also, I think about that substance abuse clinic that was next to the place that Jodi volunteered. So, like, that's.

[Britt]

Had he been there.

[Ashley Flowers]

So this is the thing, right? So this is how it all got teed up. We know he used or used to use drugs. We know this clinic was there. So I was going to say this could be somewhere that they would have met, but I don't know because it never really got run down. And like, we see this all the time. That kind of stuff, like, making those connections is all stuff that you learn when you're, like, building a case against.

[Britt]

Someone, like, for trial.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, but I'm seeing this all the time with these IGG cases. When you work backwards and especially when the person is deceased, like, you don't have to go back and figure out the, like, where and whatever to, like.

[Britt]

Prove all the little details to build the full puzzle out. You kind of have the picture at the beginning.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. And so investigators just don't. And listen, on one hand, I get it. Like, there's a hundred other unsolved cases like Jody's that they need to focus on. They don't need to be creating work for themselves. But it's still kills me because we talked about this at the top. We know how devious this crime was. Was this really a one off? What if he did commit other crimes? Yeah, I mean, we know his DNA in the database hasn't matched anything else, but like we said, the mo what if he would have cleaned up? What if there's nothing left? What if by tracking him, we can figure out where they met and then that shows an MO to, like, other missing people or something? Like, again, I have a zillion questions after a case like this. Especially, like, who was this guy? How did he have a wife and a kid and just live a normal life? Did he actually live a normal life? Or were there red flags? Could anyone have seen this coming? And normally these are questions that you and I spiral on and we get left with, and then we have to move on to the next case. But not this time. Because this time, our reporter, Nicole Kagan, traveled out to California and met with the one person who had all the answers that I'm looking for, the one person who could give us insight into who David Mabridle was in 2007. Can you say and spell your name for us?

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

Marissa M A R. I S A M A B R I T O. He was my family. He's my son's dad, gave me the.

[Ashley Flowers]

Best thing in the world and did.

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

The most horrific thing to somebody in the world. I don't know how to reconcile those two.

[Ashley Flowers]

But Marissa has tried. She's gone back over every moment since meeting David on the beach in 1995, and she's had to rewire her brain to understand how he could have been capable of such a vicious crime all along. And yes, there were potentially signs, but how do you know what to look for if no one talks about it? In the interview, there was a moment where Nicole, our reporter, is like, are you sure you're good with all of this being on the record?

[Britt]

Yeah.

[Ashley Flowers]

And Marissa's like, yes, this is my truth and this is David's truth as I know it. And you guys, this is a side of the story that we almost never get to tell you. And we didn't want to cut it short by trying to squeeze it all into one episode. And more importantly, I wanted you to hear it directly from Marissa in her own words. So because Jodine Serrin was the seven of diamonds on a cold case playing card deck before her case got solved, we have dedicated a full episode of the Deck to Marissa's attempt at solving her own mystery. How could the man she loved and trusted have committed this unthinkable crime? Now, new episodes of the other weekly true crime show I host, the Deck. By the way, this is if you didn't know. Now you know those come out every Wednesday. But because we paired these episodes together, we're making this week's episode of the Deck available right now in the Crime Junkie Fan club. So if you're in the fan club, you don't have to wait. And if you don't mind waiting, make sure you follow the Deck wherever you get your podcast so you can listen for first thing on Wednesday. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website, crimejunkiepodcast.com and if you want to listen to more episodes like this and bonus episode we've never released and every episode completely ad free, be sure to join our fan club. You'll also get early access to new episodes every week and you can go there now to listen to the Deck episode that pairs with this one.

[Britt]

And you can follow us on Instagram rimejunkiepodcast.

[Ashley Flowers]

And we actually have something special for you guys next week, so don't miss it. And don't forget to go check out the Deck wherever you get your podcasts. Crime Junkie is an Audio Chuck production. I think Chuck would approve. Okay Pilates board meeting and find new tires.

[Buick Commercial Voice]

Here are the top 20 tires for midsize SUV top 20 you have enough to do without becoming a tire expert. Buick Certified Service technicians are factory trained to fit your vehicle with the tire specifically developed for it and with our tire price match guarantee, you get the best fit for the best deal. The to do list is endless, but your energy isn't. Let us do the work. Buick Exceptional by design. Available on select eligible tire brands at participating dealers only. Offer ends 1231, 25 terms apply. See dealer for complete details. Visit buick.comservice to learn more.

[Ashley (Ashley Furniture Commercial Voice)]

Your home should show off who you are telling your story in every detail, meeting you where you are. Ashley has styles that balance timeless appeal and modern trends to bring your personal look home. Pairing eye catching design with features like stain resistant performance fabric, Ashley offers well crafted affordable pieces built to stand up to real life. Plus they provide fast, reliable white glove delivery right to your door. Visit your local Ashley store or head to ashley. Com to find your style.