1993 murder mystery of 19-year-old finally solved: 52-year-old man charged after 30 years

A man has been arrested in the 1993 rape and murder of his 19-year-old neighbour in Indiana after being linked to the case via genetic genealogy, according to investigators. Carmen Van Huss' father visited her Indianapolis apartment on March 24, 1993, after she failed to show up for work. He discovered his daughter dead on the floor, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The affidavit stated that she was naked with many puncture wounds on her head, face, and body.

What happened in 1993?

Credit: Canva | In 2018, police said they sent a DNA sample from the crime scene

A renter in the apartment directly below Van Huss told police that he heard cries, crying, slamming, hammering, and "noises and voices of a male arguing that lasted approximately 30 minutes," according to the probable cause affidavit.

In the years that followed, police said they interviewed dozens of people and investigated hundreds of leads. But the case became cold. The DNA of the unknown suspect was submitted to CODIS, the national law enforcement DNA database, in 2013, but there was no match, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Then, in 2018, police said they sent a DNA sample from the crime scene to Parabon NanoLabs in an attempt to solve the case using forensic genetic genealogy, a new investigative tool that compares unknown DNA to DNA samples voluntarily submitted to a database.

How did the man get arrested?

Credit: Canva | Man was arrested after 30 years

In 2023, police stated that "various investigative methods and lead information from the genetic genealogy analysis" led to the identification of a suspect, Dana Shepherd. In 1993, police determined that Shepherd was Van Huss' neighbour. Their apartment complexes were linked inside by a shared common area, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Shepherd's DNA matched that found on Van Huss' body and at the crime scene, according to authorities. Shepherd, 52, was arrested in Missouri last week and charged with murder, felony murder, and rape, according to authorities. Police say he has not yet been extradited to Indiana.

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