{"id":2528919,"date":"2026-01-03T07:02:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cigarette-butt-was-key-to-cracking-cold-case-man-suspected-of-horrific-child-sex-crimes-2-decades-ago-is-now-behind-bars\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T07:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T12:04:24","slug":"cigarette-butt-was-key-to-cracking-cold-case-man-suspected-of-horrific-child-sex-crimes-2-decades-ago-is-now-behind-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cigarette-butt-was-key-to-cracking-cold-case-man-suspected-of-horrific-child-sex-crimes-2-decades-ago-is-now-behind-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"Cigarette Butt Was Key to Cracking Cold Case &#8211; Man Suspected of Horrific Child Sex Crimes 2 Decades Ago is Now Behind Bars"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">46<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcigarette-butt-was-key-to-cracking-cold-case-man-suspected-of-horrific-child-sex-crimes-2-decades-ago-is-now-behind-bars%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2528919&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A cigarette butt collected at a park <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nashville-shooting-three-children-three-adults-killed-in-shooting-at-christian-covenant-school\/\" title=\"Nashville shooting: Three children, three adults killed in shooting at Christian Covenant School\">helped police identify<\/a> and arrest 58-year-old David James Zimbrick in Raytown, missouri, in connection with child sexual assaults that occurred in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2000 and 2003. In teh 2000 case, three children riding bikes were approached by a man who offered money to help look for something; one girl was later sexually assaulted by a man who had been smoking, and detectives recovered a smoldering cigarette butt. A similar incident in 2003 involved two 10-year-old boys; DNA was collected then and, in 2016, was matched to the cigarette evidence. Advanced genetic genealogy later tied the DNA to the suspect&#8217;s family and led investigators to Zimbrick,who is being held on $1 million bond and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-nabbed-in-firebombing-of-pro-life-clinic-after-dobbs-leak\/\" title=\"Suspect Nabbed In Firebombing Of Pro-Life Clinic After Dobbs Leak\">faces charges related<\/a> to the two incidents. Authorities credited detectives and the testing lab for the breakthrough, honored the retired detective who preserved the cigarette, and said they are reviewing other potential cases while hoping the arrest brings some comfort to the survivors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A cigarette butt helped police bring an alleged child rapist into custody, 20 years after the crime.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcur.org\/2025-12-30\/a-cigarette-butt-and-advanced-dna-technology-help-crack-25-year-old-child-sex-crimes-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KCUR-FM<\/a> reported 58-year-old David James Zimbrick was arrested Monday in Raytown, Missouri, in connection with a child rape that occurred in Lawrence, Kansas, over two decades ago.<\/p>\n<p>Police Chief Rich Lockhart said a cigarette butt from that day, along with &ldquo;genetic genealogy&rdquo; technology, helped police identify the suspect.<\/p>\n<p>Zimbrick now faces crimes against two children in separate incidents that took place in 2000 and 2003. He is being held on $1 million bond.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">David James Zimbrick was taken into custody more than two decades after police say he sexually assaulted two children at a park. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OxygenTrueCrimeNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OxygenTrueCrimeNews<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Visit the link for more: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0JXcCe2iph\">https:\/\/t.co\/0JXcCe2iph<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3PwfxZxUiO\">pic.twitter.com\/3PwfxZxUiO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Oxygen True Crime (@oxygen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/oxygen\/status\/2007149978645622997?\">January 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/cigarette-helps-police-find-arrest-suspect-decades-old-rape-cases-11878182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">People<\/a>, in the 2000 incident, three children were riding their bikes in a park when a man offered them $20 to help him look for something.<\/p>\n<p>One of the children went with the man, and another told a parent, who went looking for his daughter.<\/p>\n<p>The girl told her father she had been sexually assaulted by a man smoking a cigarette. Two detectives searched the park and recovered a smoldering cigarette butt.<\/p>\n<p>In 2003, another incident occurred in the same park when a man stopped two 10-year-old boys and made the same offer. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/10-babylon-bee-headlines-that-no-longer-sound-like-satire\/\" title=\"10 Babylon Bee Headlines That No Longer Sound Like Satire\">allegedly sexually assaulted<\/a> one of them when the boys split up and went in different directions.<\/p>\n<p>People reported that DNA evidence was collected from the second incident. In 2016, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation was able to match that evidence to the DNA from the cigarette.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, genetic technology helped tie those two cases to the suspect&rsquo;s mother, leading investigators to Zimbrick.<\/p>\n<p>Lockhart credited detectives Amy Price and Meghan Bardwell, along with the testing lab, for identifying the suspect.<\/p>\n<p>He also recognized retired detective Mike McAtee, who collected the cigarette butt in 2000.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Without that piece of evidence, we would not have been able to link these two cases,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I hope this arrest provides some measure of comfort to the survivors,&rdquo; he said, adding that additional cases are being looked at without direct evidence to Zimbrick. &ldquo;While we do not have any evidence of additional victims, it is likely there are other cases out there and we hope this investigation will help locate those other cases.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In today&rsquo;s political realm, we often forget how much police do to serve their communities.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the people involved here, a man is behind bars for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >allegedly committing horrible crimes<\/a> against children.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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