Hillsboro Cold Case DNA Solves 1992 Murder by Serial Killer

Male DNA extracted from 33-year-old clothing swabs has officially closed the 1992 murder investigation of Elizabeth Burtis Wasson. The Washington County District Attorney’s Office and the Hillsboro Police Department announced on Feb. 10, 2026, that advanced forensic analysis matched the genetic profile to Cesar Barone, a deceased serial killer who operated in the Portland metropolitan area during the early 1990s. This Hillsboro cold case DNA breakthrough concludes an investigation that stalled over three decades ago due to the limitations of contemporary forensic technology.

Reevaluating the 1992 Crime Scene

According to the Hillsboro Police Department, Wasson, 82, was found strangled to death in her home on the 2100 block of Southeast Brookwood Avenue on Sept. 23, 1992. Original investigators noted a lack of forced entry and no indication of robbery at the scene.

Because Barone’s modus operandi (method of operation) involved the strangulation of women within the immediate geographic region, law enforcement suspected his involvement early in the investigation. Barone’s established criminal history included the strangulation murders of four women—Margaret Schmidt, 61; Martha Bryant, 41; Chantee Woodman, 23; and Betty Williams, 51—as well as the sexual assault and attempted murder of three surviving victims between 1991 and 1993. However, the physical evidence recovered at the Wasson crime scene was insufficient to secure an indictment under 1992 biological testing standards.

Forensic Extraction and DNA Matching

The path to forensic resolution began in 2023 when Detective Megan Townsend of the Hillsboro Police Department’s cold case unit initiated a comprehensive reexamination of the case file. Townsend submitted the original biological evidence—specifically, swabs taken from the dress Wasson was wearing at the time of the homicide—to the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory.

Using modern extraction techniques unavailable during the initial investigation, forensic analysts successfully isolated a male DNA profile from the degraded samples. The resulting profile yielded a definitive, statistically significant match to Barone. The perpetrator, who was convicted in 1995 for his other homicides and sentenced to death, died in an Oregon prison in 2009.

The Evidence

• Victimology: Elizabeth Burtis Wasson, 82, discovered strangled on Sept. 23, 1992, in her Hillsboro, Oregon residence.
• Biological Material: Swabs retained from the victim’s dress, preserved in evidence storage for 31 years before re-submission to a laboratory in 2023.
• Forensic Analysis: The Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory utilized advanced DNA extraction methods to isolate a distinct male profile from the historic fabric swabs.
• Identification: The extracted genetic profile definitively matched Cesar Barone, whose DNA was recorded in the state database following his 1995 homicide convictions.

Because Barone is deceased, no criminal trial will occur in connection with Wasson’s death. The Washington County District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit has officially classified the case as cleared by exceptional means. Under Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) guidelines, a case is cleared by exceptional means when law enforcement has identified the offender and gathered enough evidence to support an arrest, but the offender cannot be prosecuted due to death or jurisdictional barriers.

Sources

• Washington County District Attorney’s Office / Hillsboro Police Department: Feb. 10, 2026, Joint Press Release detailing the DNA match and Barone’s link to Elizabeth Wasson.
• KTTC / Syndicated True Crime Reporting: “Serial killer accused of 33-year-old Hillsboro cold case murder” (Gray Television syndication).