LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) — For nearly 4 decades, the Livingston County Cold Case Team and detectives have worked to solve a 1983 cold case involving Christina Castiglione, a 19-year-old from Redford Township who went missing and was later found deceased.
“On March 21, 1983, Christina Castiglione was reported missing by her mother in Redford Township. On March 29,1983, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office was alerted to a deceased body located in the Oak Grove State Game Area on Faussett Rd. in Deerfield Township,” said Livingston County Sheriff Michael J. Murphy.
Responding deputies found the partially clothed body of Castiglione in a remote wooded area in the Oak Grove State Game Area. Evidence found at the site, detectives said, indicated Christina was strangled to death and sexually assaulted.
Male DNA was collected and preserved during the subsequent autopsy.
Due to less advanced DNA technology existing in 1983, it took more than 20 years for the samples to be entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) by the Michigan State Police Crime Lab. The samples were entered into the database in the early 2000’s but a suspect was not identified at that time.
In March, the Livingston County Sheriff's office applied for and received grant funding through Season of Justice to complete advanced DNA testing on the DNA samples taken in 1983.
Season of Justice is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing police departments and other law enforcement agencies with funding for DNA testing for unsolved cold case homicides, including sexual assault, and Jane/John Doe cases in which the victim’s body or the suspect is unidentified, and DNA is the only viable investigative option.
“In May 2022, forensic DNA evidence from the case was sent to Othram Inc., a private forensic laboratory in Texas. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive genealogical profile from the DNA of the unknown male suspect. Othram's in-house genealogical team used the genealogical profile to produce investigative leads. Othram returned the investigative leads to the Livingston County Cold Case Team who used the leads to continue following up on the Castiglione murder,” said Sheriff Murphy.
Through the investigation, the Livingston County Cold Case Team were able to identify a suspect through confirmation by three separate familial DNA comparison tests. The suspect, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office said has been identified as Charles David Shaw, a Livonia resident.
Shaw died in November of 1983.
“Detectives were unable to find any direct ties between Christina and Charles Shaw to suggest why she was targeted. However, through collaboration with living relatives of the killer, it was determined that he was a long-time Livonia resident who lived less than 5 miles from where Christina went missing. Based on information received from Shaw’s family, he was described as a sex addict with a disturbing life who struggled with mental illness and his gender identity. Charles Shaw had several interactions with law enforcement beginning at a young age. One such interaction resulted in his arrest in 1981 for the attempted abduction of a woman in the Fowlerville McDonald’s parking lot,” Sheriff Murphy said.
“The cooperation of the Shaw family during the investigation was paramount to identifying Charles Shaw as the person responsible for the homicide of Christina Castiglione. We are hopeful that the surviving family members of Christina Castiglione, along with victims and families of other violent unsolved crimes who have been awaiting justice for decades, experience closure as genealogical DNA continues to help law enforcement advance efforts to achieve justice for victims.”
