Woman's Ancestry DNA test ends up putting her grandmother in jail for unsolved crime 27 years earlier

A woman was left stunned after the results of a simple DNA test led to her grandmother’s arrest.

TikTok user Jenna Rose Gerwatowski, who goes by the handle @__jennarose__, revealed that her ancestry test ended up solving a 27-year murder mystery - and unfortunately landed her grandma in hot water.

Jenna began her video by sharing a bit of background on her family, noting that she “never met [her] grandmother” and “didn’t even know her name” until she was about 15.

The TikToker then explained that her grandmother was a suspect in the unsolved Baby Garnet case, which occurred in June 1997.

According to The Independent, the Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police opened the investigation after the remains of a dead newborn were found in a campground pit toilet at the Garnet Lake Campground, located in Hudson Township, 20 miles away from Newberry.

The baby was a “term or near-term infant,” according to the state, per NewsNationNow.

The 23-year-old revealed in the video, which has been viewed more than 15.3 million times, that she decided to take a DNA test two years ago because it seemed “dope".

“Little did I know,” she said laughing, sharing how a year later a detective from the Michigan State Police called her at work.

A woman was left stunned after the results of a simple DNA test led to her grandmother’s arrest. Credit: Andrew Brookes / Getty

Jenna thought she was in trouble, and recalled: “I was like, ‘Excuse me? What the f**k did I do?’ So I start freaking out."

Instead, the official disclosed to her that he had reopened a cold case from 1997 because her DNA was "a direct match to the victim of this case" - a fact that rendered her speechless.

Further ancestry testing confirmed that Jenna’s mother was directly related to baby Garnet - suggesting a connection to Jenna's grandmother, Nancy Gerwatowski, whom she had never met.

“I was mind blown,” she remarked. “Mind you, I’ve never met this woman before. She is literally the f***ing person that they’ve been looking for for 25 years. And it’s all because of a f***ing Ancestry DNA kit.”

Despite detailing how the shocking investigation “unfolded” since receiving her test results, Jenna revealed that she is unable to discuss anything else.

Nancy Gerwatoswki was arrested in 2022. Credit: Mackinac County Sheriff's Office

Jenna's grandmother was arrested in 2022 and charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, and concealing the death of an individual, per Click on Detroit.

Her arrest came after investigative efforts were renewed in 2017 when a Michigan State Police detective sergeant “initiated familial genetic genealogical tracing with the assistance of a private laboratory and the Federal Bureau of Investigations,” who by this time had obtained the skeletal remains of Baby Garnet.

“A lab received remains to test in 2020, and in 2022 a DNA profile was developed and returned indicating a specific familial lineage,” the state reported, cited by The Independent.

The 61-year-old woman will now go to trial for the cold case murder and is facing a life sentence in prison if she’s found guilty.

Featured image credit: Mackinac County Sheriff's Office