What evidence linked Miguel Salguero Olivares to Faith Hedgepeth's murder?

Investigators identified Salguero Olivares through genetic genealogy in 2021. Prosecutors said his DNA matched DNA on the suspected murder weapon, a rum bottle tangled in Hedgepeth's comforter, and samples from her rape kit, and that his fingerprints were found at the scene. They also argued that a handwritten note in a jail video call resembled the writing on a takeout bag left beside her body.

• Salguero Olivares lived in Chapel Hill, was 19 in 2012 and worked at a local restaurant.
• The prosecution called 23 witnesses, and the defense called none.
• The defense got the DNA expert to concede she could not say when the DNA was left.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Dateline NBC (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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