Work at California DOJ Lab Leads to Resolution of Cold Case Murders

“The latest technology and the scientific work by California DOJ criminalists, paired with the investigative work of law enforcement officers is a combination that completely extends the long arm of the law.  Finally, justice for these infants whose lives were taken.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

WOODLAND — On January 6, 2026, a Yolo County Jury convicted Paul Allen Perez, 63, a transient throughout Central California, of multiple counts of murder; and one count of assault on a child under eight with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death. A case enhancement for multiple murders was also found to be true.

The conviction stems from murders that occurred between 1992 and 2001, throughout Central and Northern California. The case broke after one of the infant’s remains were found weighted down and submerged in a cooler in the Conway Slough east of Woodland. Familial DNA of that infant determined that Paul Allen Perez was the biological father.

The California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS) provided assistance to the investigating agencies.

“This case is a powerful example of how innovative scientific techniques provide a voice for victims of crime,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “I am incredibly proud of the work our Bureau of Forensic Services put into this case, which provided a pathway to justice. I’m also grateful to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners for their dedication to finding justice for these children.”

Though DNA from the remains was routinely searched to identify them, it wasn’t until 2017 that Paul Allen Perez was determined to be the infant’s biological father when BFS’s Missing Persons DNA Program and Cal-DNA Data Bank collaborated to identify a DNA kinship link. Following this lead, local investigators were able to build a case against Perez.

The California Department of Justice Missing Persons DNA Program (MPDP), established in 2001, is responsible for providing DNA testing to address all cases of missing persons and unidentified human remains throughout the state. To this end, the MPDP works with coroners, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies from all of California’s 58 counties to ensure that all cases have been submitted for DNA testing. The MPDP compares DNA from unidentified persons and unidentified human remains with DNA from personal articles belonging to missing persons and DNA from relatives of missing persons with the sole purpose of contributing to the effort of identifying missing persons and bringing closure to their families.

Perez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 6, 2026.