🧬 DNA, AI & a 37-year mystery

I hope you’re having a lovely and restful Sunday, {{first_name | friend}}. ☀️ Back in 1983, something wild happened in the deserts of New Mexico. No flying saucers this time. One company decided the best solution to an overflow of 700,000 unsold products was a giant burial ground, leading to decades of urban legend. 

🏜️ What was in the pit? A) Atari 2600 “E.T.” cartridges, B) Commodore 64s, C) Betamax tapes or D) Pong consoles? Find the answer popping up at the end like a zombie hand!

Every five seconds, someone’s identity is stolen. Don’t let it be yours. I trust NordProtect for real protection and real alerts. No gimmicks, just results. Get 65% off now while you still can. — Kim

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In late November 1987, Nashville police got a call about a revolting stench on Charlotte Avenue. What they found under a dirt-floor crawl space shocked even the most hardened crime scene veterans: two decomposing bodies, buried and forgotten beneath a broken-down home.

The address traced back to James Shaffer, a convicted rapist already serving time for kidnapping and assault. He admitted to killing the two women, claiming they had stolen from him. He gave only partial names, that is, Sheila and “Little Bit.”

There were no IDs, no missing persons reports, no fingerprints, no next of kin. The case went cold and stayed cold for nearly four decades. Even with a confession, no names meant no entries in the national database and no justice for the families.

Today, powerful DNA technology, smart internet sleuthing and a little help from artificial intelligence are rewriting the story. Across the country, old cases are being cracked wide open by combining classic detective work with modern tools like genetic genealogy and AI.

Here’s the process: Police first try CODIS, the FBI’s DNA database. If there’s no match, and often there isn’t, they move to public genealogy sites like GEDMatch and FamilyTreeDNA. 

Genealogists then build sprawling family trees from shared DNA, and detectives dig through old records. AI now joins the hunt, scanning decades of police reports, obituaries, social media posts and even mug shots to spot connections people might miss. 

Some systems can even predict likely identities by studying migration patterns, regional matches and known associates.

In January 2025, police exhumed one of the women for a better DNA sample. Around the same time, a woman in Elgin, Illinois, saw a forensic composite of “Little Bit” on the news. It looked like her mom, Sheila Cummings, who had been missing since the ’80s. 

She called the police, provided her own DNA, and boom, the match was made.

The second woman is still unknown. Her DNA is in the system, and AI is combing every digital corner for a lead. It feels like only a matter of time.

These women were daughters, sisters, maybe mothers. And now, thanks to an unlikely tag team of forensics, determination and a few machine-learning programs that don’t sleep, they’re finally being seen again.

Every click, post or forward helps shine a light on cold cases and the families who have been waiting decades for answers. You never know. 

The right set of eyes on this story could spark a memory, uncover a lead or inspire someone to step forward. Use the share icons below and help bring the second woman in this case one step closer to getting her name back.

Bill and his wife lost everything in a crypto scam. Plus, could AI kill Chrome? Silicon Valley’s obsession with “super smart” babies, spy radio secrets, and crypto in your 401(k).

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🤖 Messiah-as-a-service: I guess I shouldn’t be shocked. A wave of for-profit developers are cranking out AI Jesus chatbots, complete with data tracking and pop-up ads, claiming to be the literal voice of Christ. These AI blasphemy bots with no ties to actual churches are running on algorithms tuned for engagement and profit, not scripture. It’s gone from “Give us this day our daily bread” to “Give us this day our daily banner ad.” Don’t fall for it.

Focus pocus: Have any Axis security cameras? A security researcher hacked the cameras (professional-grade systems used by governments, hospitals and Fortune 500 companies) plus their servers, giving him control of live feeds across thousands of organizations. Axis fixed it, but only if you get the firmware update. Otherwise? Someone else could be watching you watch them.

🏠 Suite escape: If you’re using Airbnb, check out their new “Reserve Now, Pay Later” option. You can book certain properties without paying up front, just settle up before the free cancellation window closes. Big update if you’re the “I’ll deal with it later” travel planner. 

Windows 10 drama: Microsoft fixed a bug that stopped people from signing up for extended updates. ICYMI, support ends Oct. 14, 2025, but you can stick around for an extra year. The cost? Trade 1,000 MS Rewards points, back up your PC with OneDrive (free), or pay $30. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Fun times.

🌾 Literal fields of green: While everyone’s glued to Bitcoin tickers, U.S. farmland just hit a record $4,350 per acre, up 89% since 2011. Jeff Bezos is shooting for soybean stars with 462,000 acres, Bill Gates went from Microsoft to microgreens with 275,000 acres, and Warren Buffett once said he’d drop $25B for 1% of all farmland. Now this seems like a fine place for a bad joke. How do you get a farm girl to like you? A tractor. (lol)

🚘 Save yourself stress (and a tow truck bill) with these upgrades.

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⚡️ 3-second tech genius: In Gmail, type “older_than:6m” in the search bar to find emails over 6 months old. Want to go deeper? Try “older_than:1y” to get stuff from a year ago. Wicked smart.

Clear your Facebook search history: We’ve all done a bit of stalking. On your desktop, go to Settings & privacy > Activity log > Logged information > Search > Your search history. Select the three-dot icon next to any term to Delete it, or remove them all at once by clicking Clear Searches in the top right.

🤖 AI is only as good as your prompts: Next time you chat with a bot for an email or social media post, say who the “intended audience” is, so the tone fits. For tricky questions, ask for a “step-by-step answer.” Worst case, tell it to explain like you’re 5. 🤭

Stop spam calls: On iPhone, go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers to send numbers not in your contacts straight to voicemail. On Android, open the Phone app > Settings > Block numbers and toggle Block calls from unknown numbers. Depending on your Android, they might still be able to leave you a voicemail.

💾 A free tool for my clean freaks: BleachBit is a pretty awesome freebie that wipes internet history, logs, temp files and hidden junk. It can also “shred” files so they’re super difficult to recover. Hello, privacy. Download it here for Windows and Linux.

🫣 Size up celebrities: Compare your height to your favorite celebs, and see who’s been stretching the truth. (Spoiler: almost all of them)

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Find better movies: Get eerily accurate film recommendations based on your taste, not whatever’s trending on Netflix this week.

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The answer: A) Atari 2600 “E.T.” cartridges. Yes, the pixelated flop that critics called “unplayable” was such a disaster, Atari secretly buried hundreds of thousands in a New Mexico landfill. There’s a movie about this! If you’re looking for something to watch, it’s a good story.

🕹️ What did Atari say to Sega when he moved out of his house? “I gotta Pac Man!” (I even groaned at that one!)

🛡 You need to protect your financial life and identity. It’s not a choice with the hackers and scammers who use AI to do more damage to ruin your credit and take over your life. Your SSN is for sale right now on the dark web. That’s why I use NordProtect, and you should at least check it out. You get 65% off if you use this link when signing up.

This is the #1 tech newsletter in the U.S. Level up your inbox tomorrow with tips to use GPT-5 to get more done, look smarter and maybe win that next argument.

🙏🏻 Recharge today, so you can hit “play” on your best self tomorrow. 💫 — Kim

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