SAGINAW, Mich. – A man is facing murder charges more than 20 years after a woman was found dead in the Flint River.
Advancements in DNA analysis led prosecutors to charge Jason Cabello, 47, of Saginaw, in the 2003 murder of Jeanette Wilton, 57.
Wilton was found dead in the Flint River near her Saginaw home on Feb. 22, 2003. Prosecutors said she died of strangulation and had multiple stab wounds to her neck. Wilton also had blunt force trauma to the head and face, contusions, and postmortem abrasions.
The Michigan State Police Third District Cold Case Team reopened the case in 2021. Western Michigan University’s Cold Case program and the MSP laboratory investigated the case. Michigan State Police submitted reanalyzed evidence to a private lab using a cold case grant.
Prosecutors said Cabello had been in a relationship with one of Wilton’s relatives before her murder, but has no other known connections to Wilton. Cabello was linked to the case in early 2024 by DNA evidence analysis.
“I want to thank our Third District Cold Case Team and partners at the Michigan Department of Attorney General for renewing investigative efforts in recent years,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police. “Our MSP forensic scientists are doing remarkable work and played a very important role in reexamining decades old evidence to ensure the next steps could be taken with a private laboratory. I hope Jeanette’s family finds comfort knowing we never gave up.”
On Dec. 10, 2024, Jason Cabello was arraigned on charges of first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Each charge comes with a potential life sentence.
Cabello is expected back in court at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2024.
“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,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “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.”
Michigan State Police are asking other victims of Cabello to contact MSP D/Sgt. Bill Arndt at 989-615-6257 or email MSP-ColdCase@michigan.gov.