Author: Yujiemi Chisholm

Eighteen years after Cynthia McKenna was found murdered in her North Providence apartment, Rhode Island authorities delivered definitive answers in a case that had long haunted her family. On February 21, 2007, McKenna was discovered unresponsive in her bed, and the state medical examiner later determined she died from asphyxiation caused by blocked airways. Despite early investigative efforts and the emergence of a prime suspect, the case stalled due to limited forensic capabilities. In 2024, using funding from BJA’s Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation, applying modern forensic tools and a comprehensive re‑examination of evidence. Investigators re-evaluated confession letters written shortly after the murder and employed advanced DNA analysis, including Y‑STR testing, on biological material recovered from an envelope. The testing linked the DNA to a direct male relative of the suspect, helping to confirm authorship of the letters and corroborating witness statements and investigative findings. Based on the totality of the evidence—including forensic analysis, confirmed confessions, witness testimony, and gaps in the suspect’s alibi—the Cold Case Unit concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert J. Corry, Jr. murdered Cynthia McKenna. Although Corry died in 2014 and criminal charges could not be filed, the findings brought long‑overdue clarity and resolution to McKenna’s family and formally closed the case. By combining advanced DNA technology with meticulous investigative review, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit demonstrated that even long‑dormant cases can reach meaningful resolution—affirming that the pursuit of justice does not end with time, and that answers remain possible years after a crime occurs.