Albert Buddy Zigler charged in 1993 Randy Gail Sperino murder

Authorities have identified and charged 70-year-old Albert “Buddy” Zigler for the 1993 murder of 34-year-old Randy Gail Sperino. Sperino was last seen in Granite City, Illinois, on November 9, 1993, and her body was discovered hours later in a nearby field, having succumbed to blunt force trauma.

For three decades, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office was unable to solve the case through traditional forensic DNA testing or standard law enforcement databases. The breakthrough came through investigative genetic genealogy, a method inspired by the identification of the Golden State Killer.

Detectives partnered with Othram, a Houston-based company, to analyze genetic evidence from the crime scene. By utilizing DNA profiles uploaded to commercial databases by extended relatives, investigators were able to identify a male family member of the perpetrator. This lead allowed detectives to locate Zigler, who subsequently confessed to the crime. He was officially charged in May of this year.