DEKALB COUNTY COLD CASE TASK FORCE ANNOUNCES BREAK IN TUCKER SEX ASSAULT, KIDNAPPING CASES

State v. Jamal Toliaferro

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston and the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force announce the identification of a suspect in cold cases in the Tucker area dating back more than a decade.

On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, investigators obtained warrants against Jamal Toliaferro, 45, tied to three previously unsolved cases.

2014 Sexual Assault

On December 24, 2014, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) responded to a report of a sexual assault at a house in the 3100 block of Evelyn Street in Tucker. A 54-year-old woman reported that as she was leaving her home, a masked male confronted her in her garage, bound her wrists, covered her mouth, and sexually assaulted her. She was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where medical professionals performed a sexual assault exam and collected evidence.

Using the sexual assault kit, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) developed an unknown male STR (short tandem repeat) DNA profile and entered it into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). The offender was not identified.

2019 Sexual Assault

On January 30, 2019, DKPD responded to a sexual assault call at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Northlake Parkway in Tucker. A 35-year-old woman told officers that a masked man with a knife tied her up and sexually assaulted her. She bit her attacker's hand, drawing blood. Crime scene investigators collected a blood sample from the scene. The GBI developed a single-source male STR DNA profile from that blood sample and entered it into CODIS. The offender remained unknown.

In 2021, the GBI reported that the DNA from the 2019 and 2014 assaults were from the same unidentified male.

2024 Kidnapping

On March 26, 2024, DKPD responded to DeKalb County Fire Station 22 located on Montreal Road in Tucker. A 67-year-old woman reported that a masked man with a box cutter forced her into her vehicle as she left her office building nearby. The man bound her wrists, taped her mouth shut, and drove her around for hours while trying to use her bank cards to withdraw money from ATMs. The man cut her and burned her with a lighter during the kidnapping. He eventually let her go and she went to the fire station for help. Investigators recovered a black drawstring bag the man had left behind in the car. The GBI developed a male STR DNA profile from the bag and entered it into CODIS. There was no match at that time.

Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy

In September 2025, the GBI determined that the DNA profile from the 2024 kidnapping matched the same unknown male as the 2019 and 2014 unsolved cases. The GBI Forensic Biology Lab Manager notified the District Attorney's Office and DKPD of the linked cases and that the 2019 DNA sample was a good candidate for Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG).

FIGG is a process where scientists take DNA from an unknown person and use law enforcement accessible genealogy databases to locate possible relatives who share DNA with the unknown individual. Traditional investigative techniques are then used to narrow the suspect pool and attempt to identify the individual in question. FIGG requires a single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, profile, as opposed to an STR profile.

The DA's Office asked for and received authorization from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to use previously secured Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA grant funding to complete FIGG on the 2019 DNA sample.

In January 2026, the Task Force's private lab partner, Othram, developed a searchable SNP profile from the offender's blood recovered in the 2019 sexual assault.

July 2026 Homicide

On July 3, 2026, DKPD responded to a fatal stabbing in the 3100 block of Evelyn Street in Tucker. Investigators noticed a trail of blood leading to a vacant property across the street.

When investigators returned to the property with a warrant to collect evidence on July 17, they encountered Jamal Toliaferro, 45. Investigators observed that he was recovering from wounds consistent with having been involved in an altercation with a knife. Police took Toliaferro into custody after additional evidence collected at the home connected him to the homicide. Toliaferro is charged with Malice Murder, Criminal Trespass and Obstruction of Law Enforcement Officers in connection with the murder of Kenyon Jeffries, 30. Toliaferro is being held without bond in the DeKalb County Jail.

As part of the homicide investigation, police obtained a search warrant for Toliaferro's DNA. DKPD notified the Cold Case Task Force after identifying physical similarities between Toliaferro and victim descriptions of the unidentified serial offender. They also identified similar fact patterns in the crimes such as the locations on and around Evelyn Street in the Northlake area, the use of a knife or cutting weapon, and that the victims were bound.

Cold Case Task Force investigators obtained a search warrant for a SNP comparison between Toliaferro's DNA and the unknown perpetrator in the 2019 case. The SNP-to-SNP comparison matched Toliaferro to the 2019 SNP profile.

Investigators obtained an additional search warrant for a new DNA sample from Defendant Toliaferro. Through traditional STR DNA testing, the GBI confirmed that Toliaferro's STR DNA profile matches the evidentiary DNA profile developed in all three previously unsolved cases.

On September 8, 2026, the DA's Office obtained arrest warrants for charges related to the 2014, 2019 and 2024 crimes including Rape, Kidnapping with Bodily Injury, Aggravated Assault, False Imprisonment, Armed Robbery, and Possession of a Knife During the Commission of a Felony, among other charges.

Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Grant

Testing for this case was funded by the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA grant secured by the DA's Office in October 2023 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).

Tip Line

The DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force believes there could be additional victims. Anyone with information about Jamal Toliaferro or his alleged crimes is urged to call the DeKalb County DA's Office Tip Line at 404-371-2444.