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CHAPTER 76

Raleigh, North Carolina Friday, June 27, 2025

THE FOLLOWING SUMMER, SLOAN STOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE CAGE at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina. She looked out at a standing-room-only crowd, bigger than any she’d seen for the other fellows who had given their end-of-the-year presentations. She wasn’t surprised. Her story had gone viral over the last year, and the return of baby Charlotte Margolis was as big a news event today as was her disappearance thirty years before. This time, though, Sloan provided the answers that had eluded the media, law enforcement, and true crime fanatics who had chased the story for three decades.

She exhaled a calming breath and looked out at the crowd awaiting her presentation. Dr. Cutty was in the front row and had been integral in helping Sloan fine-tune her presentation. Her parents were in the back, and next to them was Eric Stamos, who’d made the trip from Cedar Creek. As a late arrival, Sloan saw Nora walk through the cage’s doorway. Nearly a year after a bullet ripped through her leg, and three surgeries later, Nora used a single crutch but managed without issue as she took a seat. She offered Sloan a subtle wave and a smile.

The room quieted and the lights dimmed. Sloan clicked a button on the remote and the SMART Board lit up with the title of her presentation.

Advancing the Science of Forensic Genealogy

“My name is Dr. Sloan Hastings, and over the next four hours I am going to detail how forensic genealogy allowed me to solve a thirty-year-old cold case—the disappearance of my birth parents, Preston and Annabelle Margolis.”