We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

At the end of 2021, Kaycee Connelly, Olivia McCarter, and I had just finished our internship with a company conducting investigative genetic genealogy to identify unidentified human remains and perpetrators of violent crimes. We knew that we all had a passion for this work and enjoyed working together. We wanted to continue to conduct this type of work and make a difference in the world. The best way to do this was to build an organization that would allow us to continue. Therefore, Moxxy Forensic Investigations was born. Three years later, we have built a very strong team who have successfully identified individuals in over 15 cases of unidentified human remains and violent perpetrators across the United States through the methodology of investigative genetic genealogy.

Katie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always had an interest in investigations and true crime. For over 20 years, I was a hobby genealogist while building my educational and professional experience. When the field of investigative genetic genealogist came to the forefront in 2018, I knew that this was the field that I was meant to be a part of. After connecting with Olivia and Kaycee and forming Moxxy Forensic Investigations, my dream has become a reality.

Moxxy Forensic Investigations is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in The Woodlands, Texas. We utilize investigative genetic genealogy to identify unidentified human remains and perpetrators of violent crimes for law enforcement and other investigating agencies. In addition to investigative genetic genealogy, we also assist in advanced cold case research, laboratory coordination, and fundraising assistance for agencies who don’t have funding available.

The mission of Moxxy Forensic Investigations is to provide exceptional Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) services to investigating agencies, exhibiting respect and diligence for the victims and their loved ones, working with determination and integrity to assist agencies in identifying unknown individuals, and upholding the confidentiality of sensitive case information.

At Moxxy, we uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our casework. We are victim-centered and compassion driven. We specialize in hard to solve cases and will continue to work on each case until a resolution can be provided to both the agencies and the families.

Much of our work is volunteer-driven and supported by donations or crowdfunding. Despite these limitations, our team has delivered results that would otherwise require large budgets.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Leading a non-profit, mission-driven team like Moxxy comes with unique challenges, but also unique opportunities to keep people motivated.

We lead with our mission in mind. It’s important to always tie the work back to why it matters; giving names back, helping families, and restoring dignity. Even small steps forward bring justice and compassion to forgotten cases.

It’s also important to recognize every contribution. Genealogical research, data entry, outreach, fundraising – all of it adds up to answers for agencies and families. To celebrate each team member’s contribution, we ensure that all team members are listed and recognized when we announce case solves on our social media platforms.

We also strive to keep communications open and safe. We want all of our team members to feel comfortable sharing ideas, questions, or even frustrations and make every attempt to have an “open-door policy”. We understand the emotional toll of working with victim stories and give room and community for processing these emotions as a team.

We further encourage growth and learning. We have created a professional development committee, chaired by Erin Donohue Boyer, that offer opportunities for professional development through internal webinars and trainings on various topics relevant to our field of work.

We model balance and respect. It is important for us as leaders of Moxxy to set an example that rest and boundaries are valued. Burnout is real in emotionally heavy work. We encourage people to step back when needed and celebrate when they return refreshed.

It’s also important that we foster belonging and community. We remind everyone that they are a part of a team effort that is bigger than themselves. Little gestures – check-ins and team updates – make people feel seen.

And finally we celebrate our successes loudly and mourn quietly. We share our successes on our website and social media platforms, and in our newsletter with joy, gratitude, and visibility. We acknowledge the difficult cases respectfully, without letting them overshadow the hope the work creates.

At Moxxy, morale thrives when people feel connected to the mission, recognized for their contributions, supported in their growth, and cared for as whole people.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

We often work difficult cases, with very little leads in order to move our work forward in restoring identities. One case in particular highlights the resilience and strength of our team – Harris County Jane Doe (1992).

Harris County Jane Doe (1992) was discovered in a wooded area of Harris County, Texas, in September 1992, but her identity remainded unknown until Moxxy Forensic Investigations launched an investigative genetic genealogy effort in 2024. With DNA analysis conducted by Intermountain Forensics and generous financial support from a public crowdfunding campaign sponsored by Criminal Coffee Co., 8 genealogists with Moxxy were able to identify this Jane Doe as Joann Zamora, a 29 year old mother from Harris County, Texas.

Joann was remembered by her family as a loving mother and vibrant woman whose life was tragically cut short by homicide. While her death remains under investigation by the Houston Police Department, her loved ones finally have answers after 32 years. Moxxy, along with its partners, remains committed to seeking justice in her case, and Criminal Coffee Co. has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moxxyforensics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moxxy_forensic_investigations/?igshid=ZWIzMWE5ZmU3Zg%3D%3D
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moxxyforensicinvestigations/?ref=page_internal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/83066014/admin/dashboard/
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/moxxyforensics.bsky.social

  https://www.tiktok.com/@moxxy.forensics