Clark County - File #: 21-1256

• File #: 21-1256
• Status: Filed
• File created: 8/17/2021
• In control: Clark County Board of Commissioners
• On agenda: 9/21/2021
• Title: Recognize the contribution of entrepreneur and philanthropist Justin Woo in solving a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department cold case.

Date	Action By	Action	Result
9/21/2021	Clark County Board of Commissioners	Recognized as Recommended; Agenda note: DISCUSSION: Following introduction of the item, Commissioner Naft recognized and presented a proclamation to Justin Woo for providing funding to solve a 32-year-old Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department cold case, and setting a world record by using technology to identify Stephanie Isaacson’s murderer with the smallest amount of DNA ever used; David Mittelman, Chief Executive Officer of Othram laboratory, advised that the technology used to solve the case is the future, the lab’s website chronicles cold cases and raises funds to test DNA; and looks forward to partnering with Justin Woo, detectives, investigators, and the lab’s technology to solve additional cases.

CLARK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

AGENDA ITEM

Petitioner:

Yolanda T. King, County Manager

Recommendation: 

title

Recognize the contribution of entrepreneur and philanthropist Justin Woo in solving a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department cold case.

body

FISCAL IMPACT:

Fund #:	N/A	Fund Name:	N/A
Fund Center:	N/A	Funded PGM/Grant:	N/A
Amount:	N/A
Description:	N/A
Additional Comments:	N/A

BACKGROUND: 

Commissioner Naft would like to recognize entrepreneur and philanthropist Justin Woo, who generously offered to donate funds enabling the Texas-based laboratory, Othram, to use the equivalent of 15 human cells to successfully solve a 32-year-old cold case through genome sequencing and a genealogical investigation. That case involved 14-year-old Stephanie Isaacson, who was viciously attacked and murdered while walking on her way to school on June 1, 1989. Despite attempts to locate a suspect through DNA recovered on her shirt, the cold case lingered. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did everything it could to solve the case, using older DNA technology in 1998, obtaining a DNA profile from a sample in 2007, and comparing over the course of 13 years more than 30 DNA samples against the DNA profile obtained from Stephanie. But, still, there was no match. It was not until Mr. Woo provided funding that the Othram lab was able to identify the suspect, who had committed suicide in 1995, using what may be a world-record smallest amount of DNA employed to solve a crime. Mr. Woo is to be commended for his instrumental role in solving a terrible crime that traumatized a Las Vegas family and the community for many years.