Angie Housman

On November 18, 1993, nine-year-old Angela 'Angie' Marie Housman was last seen getting off her school bus at her stop in St. Ann, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. She never arrived at her home, which was a short walk from the bus stop. Her family reported her missing that evening.

Nine days later, on November 27, Angie's body was found tied to a tree in the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County. She had been sexually assaulted and had died of exposure and dehydration. The manner of her death—being left tied to a tree to die—was particularly horrifying.

For over 25 years, the case remained unsolved despite extensive investigation. DNA evidence was collected at the scene but did not match any known offender. In 2019, investigators used advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy to identify Earl Ron Epperson, a convicted sex offender who had been living in the area at the time of the crime.

Epperson was arrested and charged with Angie's kidnapping and murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2022. The case was one of several high-profile cold cases solved through genetic genealogy technology.