The weekly podcast is a production of Exactly Right, a podcast network created by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, hosts of My Favorite Murder. In 2019, Holes and investigative journalist Billy Jensen released a true crime podcast called The Murder Squad that explores evidence and discussions of current unsolved murders, unidentified remains, and missing persons cases. In a 2017 interview, Holes was skeptical of the link between the two, based on credible witness descriptions, but changed his mind after the DeAngelo arrest. However, unlike the Golden State Killer case, no current DNA link existed. While researching the EAR case, it began to be strongly suspected by some that another high profile unsolved case, the Visalia Ransacker, and the EAR were the same person based on evidence similarity. DeAngelo was later taken into custody by the Sacramento Police on April 24, 2018. Using discarded DNA samples from DeAngelo's home, detectives were able to match his DNA to that known to be from the Golden State Killer. Holes decided not to approach the home for fear of causing a disturbance or tipping off DeAngelo of any suspicion of his involvement as a suspect in the case.

Holes watched the home for the activity of DeAngelo, who at the time was only a leading suspect tied to the Golden State Killer rapes and murders. In March 2018, Holes visited the Citrus Heights home of DeAngelo on his final day as an investigator before his retirement. Rae-Venter used DNA from the Golden State Killer to construct a genetic profile of the suspect and create a family tree that was detailed enough to narrow down the suspects to Joseph James DeAngelo. When DNA from the EAR matched other unsolved murder crimes throughout California, the case again gained traction and had expanded in evidence.Īfter years of gathering evidence and using as many DNA samples as he could without depleting the evidence, Holes made contact with genealogist and scientist Barbara Rae-Venter. His interest in the case was ignited and he remained close to the files, reviewing them any chance he had between active cases in Contra Costa County until a DNA break in 2001 expanded the case even further. In the same year, Holes first discovered the cold case files of the East Area Rapist (EAR). Holes was sworn in as an investigator for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office in Martinez, California, in 1994. There he received his Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.

Holes studied at the University of California, Davis, from 1986 to 1990.

Cold case files season 1 episode 2