San Rafael, CA – The San Rafael Police Department (SRPD) has positively linked a previously identified suspect to the 1966 homicide of Marjorie Rudolph using advanced DNA analysis. Laurel James Switzer was considered a suspect during the original investigation but could not be conclusively connected to the crime scene due to the forensic limitations of the time. Nearly 60 years later, modern DNA technology has now confirmed he was present at the scene of the homicide.

On February 1, 1966, Marjorie Rudolph, the wife of a prominent banker, was murdered while alone in her home in San Rafael. The San Rafael Police Department (SRPD) responded and opened a homicide investigation. During the initial investigation, Switzer was identified as a possible suspect; however, he died by suicide eight days after the murder occurred.

Investigators located cigarettes at the crime scene that were believed to have belonged to the suspect. However, forensic science at the time was limited, and DNA testing did not yet exist. As a result, investigators were unable to conclusively confirm Switzer's DNA on the cigarettes and thus at the crime scene.

In 2025, SRPD and its two retired investigators, now working cold cases, Harry Barbier and Kevin MacDougald, partnered with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office to submit forensic evidence from the case to Othram, a forensic laboratory based in The Woodlands, Texas, to determine whether advanced DNA testing could help identify the suspect. Scientists at Othram successfully extracted DNA from the evidence and used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive DNA profile.

Othram’s forensic genetic genealogy team then used the profile to conduct a genetic genealogy search, generating new investigative leads. These leads were forwarded to investigators Barbier and MacDougald.

Investigators contacted surviving relatives of Switzer and, with their consent, obtained DNA reference samples. Those samples were compared to the DNA profile developed from the cigarette evidence recovered at the crime scene. The comparison produced a positive match, confirming that familial DNA from James Switzer was present on the cigarettes and placing him at the scene of the crime.

Case files showed that Switzer knew the victim and her husband.  It is believed there had been some sort of dispute between Switzer and the victim’s family, which may have led to the homicide. 

Investigators believe he is the likely suspect because his DNA was identified on a cigarette recovered at the 1966 crime scene; however, because he took his own life eight days after the homicide, the exact circumstances of his involvement and his true motivation for being there may never be known.

The San Rafael Police Department extends its gratitude to cold case investigators Harry Barbier and Kevin MacDougald for their continued dedication to positively identifying Switzer as being at the scene of this homicide. Both investigators have generously volunteered their time to support cold case investigations. As they often note, “Cold cases never grow cold in the hearts of the victim’s family.”

SRPD also thanks its partners at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Othram, and Season of Justice for their collaboration and assistance in bringing this long-standing investigation to a resolution.

Funding for the forensic testing was provided through a grant from Season of Justice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement agencies by funding advanced DNA testing for unsolved cold-case homicides. The organization provides resources nationwide for cases involving homicide, sexual assault, and unidentified Jane or John Doe victims where DNA evidence may be the only viable investigative avenue.

(Photographs are courtesy of the Marin Independent Journal - 1966)