Jeanette Wilton
The Crime
On February 22, 2003, Jeanette Wilton’s body was found in the Flint River, which was near her home in Saginaw, Michigan. A later autopsy concluded that she had died of strangulation and multiple stab wounds to her neck. She’d also suffered blunt force trauma to her head and face, along with contusions and postmortem abrasions.
The Victim
Jeanette Wilton was a 57-year-old woman with three sons and had worked at a local hospital for the twelve years before her death. Jeanette was described as a loving and caring mother, grandmother and daughter.
The Cold Case
The Michigan State Police Third District Cold Case Team reopened the case in 2021, nearly 20 years after her death. Because of advances in DNA testing and their collaboration with the MSP lab and the Western Michigan University’s Cold Case Program, they were able to reanalyze evidence collected from the crime scene to a private lab and develop new leads.
The new DNA testing results identified 47-year-old Jason Cabello, who had previously been in a relationship with a relative of Jeanette Wilton’s but was not otherwise known to be associated with her. In September 2024, MSP referred the case to the Department of the Attorney General to review for potential criminal charges.
Cabello would have been about 26 years old at the time when Wilton was murdered.
In December 2024 Cabello was charged with one count of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, one count of Felony Murder, and one count of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct. All three charges could result in life sentences.
"For more than a decade, Jeanette's loved ones have lived without answers, but with these charges, we are now one step closer to delivering long-awaited justice," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. "I want to thank the Michigan State Police, whose incredible efforts made this breakthrough possible. Their work proves that no case is too cold to be solved, and no victim is forgotten."
How WMU Cold Case Program Students Helped
WMU students from the Cold Case Program assisted detectives from the Third District Cold Case Team in reorganizing the case file and then digitizing it to allow for detailed searches of all digital material. They also helped detectives create an index of people of interest in Jeanette’s murder along with other relevant documents like a timeline of the day of her murder and a site visit to relevant areas.
https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/wilton-murder-cabello-arrest-nessel-19973640.php