Hello!

I’m an Accredited Investigative Genetic Genealogist, born and raised in New Jersey and proud to still call it home.

One of my first school projects was a family tree, and I still have the poster board with the smudged pencil. That little project sparked something, but my interest really grew in 2012 when I began digging even more. My paternal grandfather passed away when my dad was very young, and there were pieces of our family story that nobody had answers to. I wanted to understand who he was, where he came from, and how our family fit together. That search is what truly pulled me into genealogy.

After doing traditional genealogy research for some time, I took my first DNA test with 23andMe in 2012, followed shortly by AncestryDNA, and I quickly fell down the rabbit hole. Before long, I began helping adoptees and others with unknown parentage learn about their biological families. In 2018, I applied to volunteer with a nonprofit that uses investigative genetic genealogy to help identify Jane and John Does, and I was excited to be among the earliest practitioners in the field.

A few years later, two colleagues from that organization and I decided to form our own small business, and in 2022, Coast to Coast Genetic Genealogy Services was born. We wanted to expand our reach and experience to work on cases involving violent crimes, providing leads to help bring answers to victims and their families. Then, as luck would have it, a job opened up at the Ramapo College Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center in New Jersey, and in 2023, I started working there as the Case Manager.

I’ve always been drawn to uncovering the truth and helping get justice for victims. My dad was a detective, and some of my earliest memories are watching cases like the O.J. Simpson trial, the Casey Anthony trial, and the D.C. Sniper events with my family. I’ve read plenty of James Patterson (Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club), Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta), Tess Gerritsen (Rizzoli & Isles), and looked forward to shows like Unsolved Mysteries, Forensic Files, Disappeared, Bones, Castle, and The X-Files.

But life isn’t all true crime and genealogy, though some might argue otherwise. In my downtime, you’ll find me wandering through old graveyards, going to concerts, playing The Sims 4 or Animal Crossing, thrifting, or enjoying coffee or a margarita with friends. Most recently, I've been trying out diamond painting. It definitely takes time and a lot of patience!