Georgia investigators name killer in 34-year-old Michigan cold case

DADE COUNTY, Ga. (WWMT) — Investigators in Georgia identified the murderer of a Michigan woman who went missing nearly 34 years ago.

Henry Frederick Weiss, a truck driver, killed Stacey Lyn Chahorski, of Norton Shores, in 1988, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He had a criminal history that predated felony mandatory DNA testing.

Chahorski's body was found five miles from the Alabama Stateline in Dade County, Georgia on Dec. 16, 1988, about a month before she was reported missing in January 1989, according to the Georgia Bureau.

DNA was collected at the scene of where the body was found, but was not connected to Weiss until it was passed on to the FBI.

Investigators tested a living family member of Weiss, confirming him as the killer, according to the bureau.

Weiss died in a Myrtle Beach stunt car accident in 1999, according to investigators.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the body as Chahorski on March 24, 2022 through a genealogy investigation.

This case was the first time genealogy forensics was used to identify both the suspect and victim in a case, according to Georgia investigators.

Chahorski was buried in a Dade County cemetery.