The evidence trail led investigators to Timothy J. Dubois Jr., who was later sentenced to 120 years in prison.
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The woman could not tell police exactly where her attacker had taken her, but a record of her movements remained on her Apple Watch, providing the first geographic link in an investigation later solved through physical evidence and forensic genetic genealogy.
The location data led officers toward a general area of Troy, where a search along a secluded gravel road produced a discarded condom containing DNA from the woman and an unidentified man. A standard law enforcement database returned no match. Collinsville police then turned to forensic investigative genetic genealogy, using biological relationships to develop a possible suspect. That sequence became the foundation of a Madison County prosecution that concluded with a 120-year prison sentence for Timothy J. Dubois Jr., 42, of Shobonier. Circuit Judge Tim Berkley imposed the punishment July 9 after a jury convicted Dubois in May of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Authorities said the case represented the first use of forensic genealogical DNA in a Madison County criminal investigation and prosecution. The technique did not immediately produce Dubois’ name or establish his guilt. It generated possible family connections that investigators had to examine alongside location records, surveillance evidence, interviews and other information.
The investigation began after the woman reported being abducted on Nov. 11, 2022. Prosecutors said she was 21 and sitting alone inside her vehicle while waiting for an order near a Starbucks in Collinsville. A man carrying a large knife entered the vehicle and ordered her to drive to a residential area in Troy.
After sexually assaulting the woman, prosecutors said, the attacker drove the vehicle back toward Collinsville. He covered her head with a coat and told her to count to 100 while he escaped. She contacted authorities but could not provide the address of the place where she had been taken or retrace the route in enough detail to identify it immediately. For investigators, locating the scene was critical. It could contain biological material, discarded objects or other evidence capable of supporting the woman’s account and identifying an assailant. Without a precise location, officers faced a broad search area covering roads and neighborhoods between Collinsville and Troy.
The woman’s Apple Watch helped reduce that area. Trial reporting indicated that her iPhone had been turned off, limiting the information that could be obtained from the phone itself. The watch, however, retained movement information that pointed officers toward a part of Troy where the vehicle appeared to have traveled.
Police searched roads and properties in the area rather than waiting for a suspect to emerge through witness identification. On a gravel roadway away from the busier commercial district, an investigator located a used condom. Its placement and condition made it potentially relevant to the reported assault, and it was submitted for laboratory testing.
The laboratory detected DNA belonging to the woman and a separate male profile, authorities said. Investigators compared that male profile with a law enforcement database containing known samples. No match was returned, meaning police had evidence associated with the crime but could not identify the contributor through the conventional process.
A failed database match does not mean a DNA profile is useless. It means the person may not have a qualifying sample in the database or may not have been previously connected to a case that required one. Investigators can preserve the profile and look for additional methods of identifying the person who left it.
Collinsville police used forensic investigative genetic genealogy to explore the male profile. The process compares genetic information in a way that can reveal people who may be close or distant biological relatives. Investigators then research family trees and other records to determine which relatives could fit the age, location and other circumstances of the crime.
Authorities said the analysis generated a list of people believed to be related to the unidentified contributor. Detectives reviewed those relationships and eventually focused on Dubois. The genealogical result functioned as an investigative lead, requiring police to collect further information before an arrest and later prove the case in court.
Prosecutors supported the genetic evidence with the woman’s testimony, digital location information, surveillance material and recorded statements attributed to Dubois. Jurors were not asked to rely on an unexplained family-tree result. They heard how the evidence was recovered, how the profile was developed and how investigators moved from an unknown contributor to a named suspect.
In a recording played during the trial, Dubois discussed selecting the Starbucks area because he believed women could be found there. He also acknowledged that the victim could have been anyone who happened to be alone, according to trial accounts. The woman had no known prior relationship with him.
The woman testified about being threatened with the knife and fearing that Dubois would kill her. She also said he invoked his military service and claimed he was entitled to assault her because it was Veterans Day. Prosecutors later cited that statement when the defense asked the judge to consider his veteran status as a mitigating factor at sentencing.
The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour before finding Dubois guilty of all charges submitted for a verdict. The relatively brief deliberation followed testimony describing a chain of evidence that began with the survivor’s report and continued through wearable-device data, a ground search, laboratory testing, genealogical research and follow-up police work.
Berkley imposed 80 years for the aggravated sexual assault convictions, 30 years for aggravated kidnapping and 10 years for the aggravated criminal sexual abuse convictions, according to court reporting. Some terms run concurrently and others consecutively, producing the announced 120-year sentence. Illinois rules governing how the terms must be served result in a minimum incarceration period of about 68 years. Prosecutors said that calculation will keep Dubois in prison for the rest of his practical life unless the judgment is changed through a successful post-trial or appellate challenge.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine called the genealogy work an important development while emphasizing that it was only part of the investigation. Its value depended on the recovery of usable evidence, the reliability of the DNA profile and detectives’ ability to verify the family-based lead through additional work. Collinsville Police Chief Brett Boerm credited investigators with continuing the case after the initial database search failed. Authorities said multiple agencies and specialists assisted with evidence collection, laboratory analysis, genealogy research and trial preparation during the years between the attack and the verdict.
The investigation also demonstrated how information from personal technology can remain relevant even when a victim cannot provide every detail of a crime scene. The watch did not identify the attacker. It helped police find the area where evidence was later recovered, creating a bridge between the woman’s account and the forensic work that followed.
The woman’s identity has not been publicly released. Prosecutors praised her cooperation through the investigation and trial, while officials said the conviction and sentence could provide accountability but could not remove the effects of the attack.
With sentencing complete, the case has moved into the post-conviction stage. Dubois may challenge the verdict or punishment through the courts, but no later order changing the convictions or the 120-year sentence had been publicly reported as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 5, 2026.