Las Vegas police solve 2 cold cases through DNA of Valley man

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators in Las Vegas have solved two cold cases through the DNA of a Central Valley man.

In the early 1990s, two women were found strangled and sexually assaulted nearly a year apart.

In 2012, detectives connected the unsolved cases to the same suspect through DNA.

Last year, investigators preliminary identified Eddie George Snowden Jr. as a suspect.

Authorities say his criminal history ties him to several parts of the state, including the Central Valley.

The Fresno Police Department helped investigators obtain a DNA sample from Snowden's biological family, which confirmed his connection to the crimes.

Snowden died in 2017 from natural causes.

Investigators are now urging law enforcement in cities he once lived in to review their cold cases for similar crimes.