Eight years. One murder.
In November 2017, 38-year-old Kaylyn Van De Wostine was found dead on McArthur Street in Tallahassee, Florida. She had been shot once — and for years, nobody knew who pulled the trigger. The case grew cold, her family was left without answers, and the trail went dark.
Detectives from the Tallahassee Police Department collected every scrap of evidence they could find. One key piece stood out — blood inside a man’s pickup truck, belonging to someone named Akbar Beale. But in 2019, DNA testing wasn’t advanced enough to extract a profile from the tiny trace. There wasn’t enough material to prove anything.
The case sat in the archives, unsolved… until 2025.
That’s when the Big Bend Cold Case Task Force decided to reopen the file. New forensic genealogy technology — the same kind that cracked cases like the Golden State Killer — made it possible to re-analyze the sample. When they did, the result hit like lightning: the blood matched Kaylyn Van De Wostine.
After nearly eight years of silence, her story was finally told — by a few drops of blood that had been waiting inside a truck the entire time.
Investigators moved quickly. Akbar Beale, now 46 years old, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The court denied him bond. Forensic evidence had finally caught up with him — proof that even the smallest clue can outlast time itself.
This case is a haunting reminder that science doesn’t forget. Justice might move slowly… but it moves.
⚖️ The Case in Short:
Victim: Kaylyn Van De Wostine, 38
Date of murder: November 3, 2017
Location: McArthur Street, Tallahassee, FL
Cause of death: Single gunshot wound
Suspect: Akbar Beale, 46
Key evidence: Blood found in Beale’s truck (2019)
Breakthrough: Advanced DNA/genealogy testing (2025)
Charge: Second-degree murder
Agencies involved: Tallahassee Police Department & Big Bend Cold Case Task Force
🕵️♂️ Lessons from the Case
This case highlights how forensic genealogy — technology that maps DNA through family trees — is revolutionizing cold cases worldwide.
What was impossible in 2017 became routine in 2025.
A few blood molecules, once unreadable, became the key to solving a murder.
It’s both inspiring and unsettling: how many killers are still out there, their evidence sitting quietly in storage, waiting for science to catch up?
💬 What do YOU think?
Should every cold case be reopened using new DNA tech — even decades later?
Or should we accept that some mysteries are meant to stay buried?
Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇
🔍 Sources & References:
WTXL News: TPD – 8-year-old cold case solved, arrest made in Kaylyn Van De Wostine murder
WCTV News: Arrest made nearly 8 years later in 2017 cold case murder of Kaylyn Van De Wostine
City of Tallahassee official release
Tallahassee Democrat coverage
🎬 About This Short
This true-crime short retells the real story of the Kaylyn Van De Wostine murder case — an 8-year-old cold case finally solved through DNA.
It’s part of the “Funny Crime Shorts / WTF True Crime” series — short, intense, story-driven true crime videos built for maximum retention with:
Strong narrative hooks 🧠
Twists and irony 🌀
Real cases, real consequences ⚰️
Polarizing moral questions 💭
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If you love real-life mysteries, cold case breakthroughs, and forensic justice, hit Subscribe and turn on 🔔 to get more shorts like this every week.
🩸 Justice never expires.
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