Holly Branagan
Fifteen-year-old Holly Branagan was stabbed to death in her Camp Hill, Pennsylvania home. In 2021, DNA evidence led to the arrest of Joseph Haines, a former classmate.
On March 30, 1979, fifteen-year-old Holly Branagan was found stabbed to death in the living room of her family's home in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Harrisburg. She had been home alone after school when someone entered the house and attacked her.
The investigation was extensive but yielded no arrests. Forensic evidence including blood and fingerprints was collected at the scene, but technology at the time could not identify the killer.
For over 40 years, the case remained one of Cumberland County's most prominent cold cases. Holly's family never gave up hope that advances in forensic technology would identify her killer.
In 2021, genetic genealogy analysis of DNA evidence from the crime scene identified Joseph Haines, a former classmate of Holly's who had attended Cedar Cliff High School with her. Haines was arrested, and his DNA was confirmed to match the evidence. He was charged with first-degree murder.
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