Suspect arrested in 1981 cold case death of man found naked from waist down

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (TCN) -- Using genetic genealogy and DNA from a cigarette butt, authorities recently narrowed down and identified a suspect from Oregon in the death of an Indiana man whose body was found over four decades ago.

In 2018, a Griffith Police Department detective reopened the cold case of 51-year-old John Blaylock’s slaying. According to court documents reviewed by WGN-TV, on Nov. 3, 1981, authorities found Blaylock at his apartment deceased and naked from the waist down after concerned co-workers noticed the victim hadn’t shown up for work for two days. There was reportedly blood all over the room.

Police allegedly observed broken pottery with the victim’s hair and tissue nearby.

According to court documents, a woman told police she saw Blaylock at a bar called John’s Place with another man, but no arrests were made at the time.

Decades later, in 2018, the detective working on the case learned there was blood from an unknown male at the crime scene, and investigators submitted it to the Indiana State Police for further testing. Authorities developed a DNA profile but were unable to find a match.

In 2022, officials sent the DNA to Parabon Labs to perform genetic genealogy testing, and they reportedly narrowed down three familial matches. According to WGN, one of the possible suspects was in a nursing home but died six weeks later. Investigators obtained a sample of his hair and ruled him out as a suspect.

Police reportedly pulled over another possible suspect for traffic infractions and collected a cigarette he had discarded. According to WGN, the DNA from the cigarette butt ruled him out as a suspect but helped investigators narrow it down to his brother. As a result, police identified Gregory Thurson as the primary suspect. He was reportedly living in Eugene, Oregon, where local police arrested him on Oct. 29.

Thurson has been extradited back to Lake County, Indiana, and remains in custody.

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