__jennarose__ / Tiktok
A TikTokker’s DNA test led to the solving of a mysterious 1997 crime and the arrest of her grandmother.
A TikTok user revealed how an Ancestry DNA test uncovered a case cold 27 years oldleading to his grandmother’s arrest. Jenna Rose Gerwatowski, 23, made the revelation in a viral video that has now racked up nearly 17 million views, describing in detail her shock at the unexpected turn of events resulting from a chance DNA test.
Gerwatowski explained that he took the test a few years ago out of pure curiosity. However, the results linked his DNA to a murder mystery unresolved for decades, leading to a call from the Michigan State Police in 2021. “I was like, ‘Excuse me? What the hell did I do?”, he recalled.
Detectives informed her that her DNA matched a cold case victim identified as Baby Garneta newborn found dead at the Garnet Lake campsite in Michigan in 1997. Further tests confirmed the mother’s direct relationship with the child, pointing investigators to his grandmother, 61-year-old Nancy Gerwatowski.
@__jennarose__ sorry this video is so long, but thank you if you stuck around to watch the whole thing. its time we start talking. #foryou #foryourpagetiktok #fyppp #foryourpage #fyp #truecrime #ancestrydna #ancestry #michigan ♬ original sound – jennarose
Nancy, who Jenna had never met, was arrested in 2022 and accused of murder, involuntary manslaughter and concealing the death of an individual. Jenna’s grandmother admitted to being baby Garnet’s mother, claiming she gave birth at home. Authorities say the newborn died of asphyxiation and was later abandoned in an outbuilding. Prosecutors say the baby’s life could have been saved if medical assistance had been sought.
In October 2023, Nancy was released on personal recognizance bond with GPS monitoring and home confinement. If convicted, risk receiving a prison sentence life sentence.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel highlighted the role of genetic advances in resolving cold cases. “This is a testimony to the persistence of the forces of order and power of science”, he stated, adding that justice for baby Garnet is now within reach.
For Jenna, the shocking discovery brought a personal connection to a widely known case in her hometown. “It was a big event in the city where I grew up,” he says.
