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.22-Caliber Weapon Made From Detonator Top.
This homemade weapon was found by an 8-year-old boy in a residential area of Oceanside, Calif.
The weapon was made by taking the detonator top of a hand grenade, drilling out the primer, and inserting a .22-caliber bullet. The spring-loaded firing pin was
Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

Georgia Man Charged After DNA Links Him to 1984 Rape and Killing

Georgia authorities have arrested 68-year-old Freddie Lee Granger Jr. after new DNA analysis allegedly linked him to the 1984 rape and strangling death of 22-year-old Sandra Kaye Davis in Waycross. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Davis’ body was found next to a home on Kollock Street on Sept. 1, 1984, and the case remained cold for nearly 42 years despite continued investigative work. Granger is now charged with one count of rape, malice murder, aggravated assault and two counts of felony murder, and was taken into custody on March 31 before being booked into the Ware County Jail. The GBI Cold Case Unit, working with Waycross police, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, used modern DNA technology to develop the alleged link and is still seeking additional information from the public.

Cold Case Homicides Crime and Law Enforcement

📌 Key Facts

  • Victim Sandra Kaye Davis, 22, was found strangled beside a home on Kollock Street in Waycross, Georgia, on Sept. 1, 1984
  • Suspect Freddie Lee Granger Jr., 68, has been charged with rape, malice murder, aggravated assault and two counts of felony murder
  • The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says DNA technology nearly 42 years later led investigators to Granger, who was arrested March 31 and booked into the Ware County Jail

📊 Relevant Data

In a study of unsolved murders in 50 U.S. cities, homicides with Black victims have an unsolved rate of about 49%, compared to 28% for White victims.

Examine racial inequities in unsolved murder cases — ArcGIS Learn

In 2019, 88.5% of Black murder victims were killed by Black offenders, and 78.7% of White murder victims were killed by White offenders.

Expanded Homicide Data Table 6 — FBI Uniform Crime Reporting

As of early 2026, forensic genetic genealogy has been used to solve more than 1,600 cases in the U.S. and Canada.

This powerful forensic tool is cracking cold cases — but crowdfunding is often needed to pay for it — NBC News

📰 Source Timeline (1)

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