Police link murder suspect to Tucker cold cases using DNA
Jamal Toliaferro (FOX 5)
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A suspect in a series of Tucker sexual assaults and a kidnapping dating back more than 10 years is now facing charges after investigators used forensic genealogy and DNA testing to crack the cold cases, authorities announced Tuesday.
What we know:
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston and the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force obtained arrest warrants against Jamal Toliaferro, 45, in connection to three unsolved attacks in Tucker.
The crimes began on Dec. 24, 2014, when a masked man bound and sexually assaulted a 54-year-old woman in her garage on Evelyn Street before she was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.
On Jan. 30, 2019, a masked attacker armed with a knife bound and sexually assaulted a 35-year-old woman at an apartment complex on Northlake Parkway.
The victim bit her attacker's hand, leaving a blood sample at the scene that state scientists later matched to the 2014 DNA profile.
Timeline:
In March 2024, a masked man armed with a box cutter forced a 67-year-old woman into her car, bound her, and burned her with a lighter while attempting to use her bank cards at ATMs.
The victim escaped to DeKalb County Fire Station 22 on Montreal Road, where officers recovered a drawstring bag left in the vehicle.
In September 2025, state forensic teams matched the DNA from the bag to the earlier assaults.
Using federal grant funding, private lab partner Othram built a genetic profile in January that led to a suspect search.
This map shows the locations of crimes allegedly committed by Jamal Toliaferro over the years.
Dig deeper:
Police arrested Toliaferro in July after investigating a fatal stabbing on Evelyn Street.
Investigators noticed Toliaferro had knife wounds while at a vacant property across from the scene, and police charged him with malice murder in the death of 30-year-old Kenyon Jeffries.
While holding Toliaferro without bond at the DeKalb County Jail, detectives noticed physical similarities and geographic patterns matching the cold case suspect.
Search warrants for Toliaferro's DNA directly matched him to all three cold cases.
What we don't know:
Investigators do not know if there are other victims tied to the suspect.
What you can do:
The DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force urges anyone with information about Toliaferro to contact the district attorney's office tip line at 404-371-2444.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, who announced the arrest warrants and details of the investigation.