They say that what’s done in the dark, always comes to light. Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said the arc of the moral universe is long, but bends toward justice. Proving such a sentiment, one Washington family had to wait nearly four decades, but they recently received a semblance of the justice they had been seeking for so long.
Thirty six years after her tragic death, detectives successfully identified the man who killed Tracy Whitney, who was just 18 when she died.
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Tracy Whitney was murdered in 1988.
On August 28, 1988, a fisherman found Tracy’s body in the Puyallup River near Sumner, Washington, CBS News reports. Her corpse was unclothed.
Later, a coroner determined that the cause of her death was asphyxia from strangulation. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, later autopsies confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted. Tracy was 18 at the time of her death.
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The local police department kept testing the DNA sample.
In 1988, authorities interviewed people Tracy dated and others she knew to find her murderer and solve the case. They collected DNA samples from the body, but still were unable to identify a suspect.
In 2005, detectives tried once again to test the DNA sample through a national database. Still, there were no matches found.
But in 2022, with help from a grant from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, detectives submitted the DNA to a genetic genealogy laboratory once more. The lab connected the DNA to the biological son of the suspected killer.
John Guillot Jr. died months before authorities matched his DNA to the sample.
Scientists confirmed that John Guillot Jr. was a match for the DNA found on Tracy’s body in 1988. The suspect, Guillot, died from cancer in January 2022, eight months before the lab matched his DNA to the sample, implicating him in the murder.
In a social media post where it announced that Tracy’s murder had been solved, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said, “There were no connections between Tracy and Guillot Jr and detectives believe this was a stranger abduction, rape and murder.”
The sheriff’s office was pleased to be able to close this case. “Our Cold Case Unit is always looking into the past trying to find answers for families just like Tracy’s,” the statement continued. “We are glad they can finally have an answer and some closure with the solving of this case.”
Tracy's family believes he may have committed other crimes.
While Tracy’s killer could not be prosecuted, her relatives say the answers have brought them some peace, KIRO reports. Tracy’s sister, Robin Whitney, hopes Guillot’s DNA can be used to connect him to other unsolved crimes he may have committed during his lifetime.
“We believe that John Guillot Jr. likely committed other crimes,” Robin wrote in a social media post, according to KIRO. “However, since he is deceased and due to current legal restrictions, his DNA cannot be uploaded into CODIS (law enforcement DNA database). We hope that this policy can be reevaluated, as it could aid in solving additional cases.”
Another family member wrote a tribute to Tracy after the news.
After the update to Tracy’s case was made known to the public, Tracy’s uncle, who was younger than her, shared his memories of her on Facebook.
“…in spite of my status as uncle, she was the one I looked up to. She was funny like her mom was. She was spirited, passionate, and opinionated. Everything she told me felt like a gift she was sharing,” Chad Bartlett wrote. “I miss her and I feel cheated that we didn’t get to see her grow up. I wonder how close we’d be today, what she’d be listening to, what kind of shenanigans we’d be getting into.”
He also said his family’s diligence helped solve this case.
“I’m sad (and angry) for my brother-in-law, Ron, and the decades of anguish this has caused him. He kept asking questions though. He kept reminding the detectives that Tracy existed and deserved justice. It was a father’s undying love for a daughter that that led to getting answers and resolution.”
“And I’m sad for my other niece, Robin whose life was upended when she was so young,” he continued. “None of this was fair and no 11-year-old kid should have to learn that life can be that cruel and dark. I think we’re all grateful for having some answers and a small amount of resolution but we’ll always be haunted by the unknown.”
