The Unsolved Murder of Julia Niswender

The Crime Scene and Discovery

• 💡 Julia Niswender was found murdered in her off-campus apartment bathtub.
• 📌 Her body was partially nude, face down, submerged, with hands pulled behind her back and feet together.
• ✂️ Her clothes had been cut off, and a cell phone was found underneath her body.
• 🏠 The apartment appeared ransacked, but valuable items like Christmas presents, an iPod, computer, and TV were left behind, suggesting a staged home invasion.

Investigation Challenges

• 🎥 Surveillance video of a potential suspect pacing near her apartment was recorded over before police could retrieve it.
• 🔬 DNA evidence (two male DNAs, one from a glove, two on her inner thigh) was collected but yielded no matches in CODIS.
• ⚠️ Initial police information was limited; details about the cause of death (asphyxiation and drowning, lacerated tongue) emerged years later.
• 🚨 The Ypsilanti Police Department was initially tight-lipped and uncooperative with the family.

Suspects and Alibis

• 🔍 Julia's stepfather, Jim Turnquist, was named a person of interest by police.
• ✅ He passed two polygraph tests and was acquitted of child pornography charges, with his wife and stepdaughter providing an alibi.
• 💬 The family believes the accusations against Jim were an attempt to pin the murder on someone.

The Family's Ordeal and Quest for Justice

• 💔 Julia's mother, Kim Turnquist, and sister, Madison Turnquist, describe the devastating impact of her murder on their lives.
• 🎗️ They are committed to keeping Julia's story alive and seeking justice, despite the emotional toll.
• 🤝 A private investigator, Jason Jensen, has offered to cover expenses to retest the DNA using new genetic genealogy technology.
• hopeful The family is now communicating with a new police chief, hoping for renewed assistance in the unsolved case.