After nearly 45 years of dogged detective work, the cold case murder of Theresa Pica has been cracked wide open thanks to cutting-edge genealogical DNA technology that pinned down a dead suspect, the Hayward Police Department confirmed today. In 1979, the 48-year-old victim was found bloodied and lifeless by her children in her own home, having been sexually assaulted and bludgeoned to death. Police had long been stuck with DNA evidence collected decades prior, but the tech breakthrough presented a stark revelation: Fred Bernard Farnham, now deceased, was the perpetrator.
Decades-old DNA samples that were once dead ends have begun to speak, revealing Farnham's sinister trail beyond the Pica case. The deceased serial predator has also been pinpointed as the assailant in the 1972 murder of Nellie Hicks in Newark, a connection made clear by Henry K. Lee of KTVU on X. It wasn't until December of 2023 that the FBI partnered with Hayward police to eventually bring the pieces to align, employing genetic DNA genealogy to stitch together the grim tapestry of Farnham's crimes.
Fred Farnham linked via genetic DNA genealogy to 1972 sex assault-slaying of Nellie Hicks in Newark & 1979 sex assault-slaying of Theresa Pica in Hayward, per @NewarkCA_Police @HaywardPD @FBISanFrancisco. Farnham died in 2007 at age 73. Noon @KTVU pic.twitter.com/jPWx3FRMoI
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) February 8, 2024
This DNA technology, while powerful, only stones an answer half-built—an answer to a question posed long in the past, a question of who could have so brutally snatched Theresa Pica and Nellie Hicks from their lives. Farnham passed away back in 2007 at 73 in Oregon, far from where his crimes were committed, never having faced justice for these specific deeds. Now, new light is shed upon a dark past, with Farnham's rap sheet exposing previous rape convictions and stints behind bars, painting a chilling profile of a man who could have potentially left more sorrow in his wake yet unearthed.
In the face of this closure, detectives continue to toil diligently, peering into unresolved shadows to attribute more unsolved cases to Farnham. Authorities, fortified by newfound clarity, seek to bring solace to potentially more grieving families. Any law enforcement with cold cases with a mark of similarity would like to contact you, as stated in the Hayward PD report on their website.
The Hayward Police Department extends heartfelt gratitude towards their fellow investigators, and especially to the FBI, Newark Police Department, the Serological Research Institute in Richmond, California, and the Othram Laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas, for their indispensable role in solving these chilling crimes and penning the final chapter of a mystery decades in the making.
