DNA from chewed gum leads to conviction in 1980s cold cases

A 74-year-old man was sentenced in May 2026 to a minimum of 50 years in prison for the murders of Susan Vesey in 1980 and Judith Weaver in 1984. Mitchell Gaff, previously known as Sam Wise Price, was identified as the perpetrator after Everett Police detectives used an undercover operation to obtain his DNA.

In January 2024, investigators posed as representatives from a chewing gum company to conduct a fake taste test. During the interaction, Gaff provided a saliva sample on a piece of chewed gum. The DNA from that sample was subsequently matched to evidence recovered from the body of Judith Weaver, linking Gaff to the decades-old crime.

Gaff, a Level 3 sex offender, had a history of violent sexual offenses, including a 1984 conviction for raping two teenage girls. Although he was previously civilly committed as a sexually violent predator, he was released from state supervision in 2018 after psychological evaluations determined he no longer met the criteria for a substantial risk to reoffend. During those evaluations, Gaff admitted to committing six rapes.

Following his arrest in May 2024, Gaff expressed remorse in court, stating he had been a runaway train through the lives of those he encountered. Detective Susan Logothetti, who led the investigation, described the moment the DNA evidence was secured as a significant breakthrough. While no additional victims have been identified since the arrest, the investigation remains active as authorities continue to compare Gaff’s disclosures to unsolved cases in Washington and other states. Logothetti stated that she believes there are more victims.