After years of relentless pursuit, the District Attorney Greg Willis’s Office has secured a life sentence for the infamous Sorority Rapist, Jeffrey Wheat. The breakthrough in the case came through the utilization of Forensic Genetic Genealogy, marking a significant milestone in criminal investigation techniques.
The Plano Police Department investigated the case.
“Great job, Detective Bryeans! You and Jane put so many hours into this case and significantly impacted the lives of so many people.", said Plano Police Lieutenant Matthews.
On April 2, 2011, Plano Police officers responded to a sexual assault where the suspect entered the victim’s home through an unlocked window while she slept. Two additional offenses occurred in Coppell and Corinth within six months and the same suspect was linked through DNA. This case was dubbed the Sorority Rapist Investigation due to the fact that several victims belonged to the same sorority.
In 2018, Cold Case Detective Bryeans was assigned and began reviewing the case. With the assistance of CAPers Senior Coordinator and Sex Offender Registrar Clements, Detective Bryeans began examining genetic reports and eventually identified a female with a possible familial DNA link to the unknown suspect.
Additional investigation and interviews identified Jeffrey Wheat as a possible suspect. Detective Bryeans also identified Moses Wheat, a brother of Jeffrey Wheat, who was currently incarcerated in Alabama for sexual assaults in Texas. Detective Bryans worked with the Alabama DOC and obtained DNA that was taken during the initial incarceration of Moses Wheat. Dr. Staub, Plano Police Physical and Technical Division Manager, compared the DNA of Moses Wheat with DNA evidence from the assaults and indicated there was a sibling relationship between the suspect and Moses Wheat.
Detective Bryeans obtained a search warrant for Moses Wheat’s DNA with the assistance of an Alabama DOC investigator. This sample was sent for testing and showed that Moses is a half-brother of the suspect. Further investigation confirmed that Jeffery Wheat was likely the DNA contributor during the sexual assaults.
Det. Bryeans and Ms. Clements continued to research the other two known brothers of Jeffery Wheat and were able to rule them out as suspects. Detective Bryeans obtained an arrest warrant and DNA search warrant for Jeffery Wheat. Following the execution of the search warrant, Wheat’s DNA confirmed he is the Sorority Rapist.
The investigation into this case spanned three years and consumed thousands of hours of work from multiple detectives and Ms. Clements, who was crucial to the complex and in-depth genealogical research in this case. Detective Bryeans and Ms. Clements pursued this case relentlessly and brought justice to the victims across North Texas. The work of everyone involved throughout this investigation was exemplary.
