DNA evidence from a discarded cigarette has led Florida police to arrest a man on suspicion of murdering a woman 35 years ago.<\/p>\n
Daniel Wells, 57, was arrested and charged in Pensacola earlier this week for the murder of Tonya McKinley.<\/p>\n
Ms McKinley was found strangled and sexually assaulted on New Year\u2019s Day in 1985, leaving behind a baby son.<\/p>\n
Her case has gone unsolved, but police say DNA from a public database linked Mr Wells to her murder in Pensacola.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t really know if this [arrest] would ever happen,” Ms McKinley\u2019s sister, Renee, told NBC News. “I didn’t really think this would happen in my lifetime, not after 35 years.”<\/p>\n
In a statement, Pensacola police said they interviewed her friends and family. Police also spoke with other people who were celebrating New Year’s Eve at a local restaurant where the 23-year-old was last seen.<\/p>\n
But until this week, no suspect has been named.<\/p>\n
“Despite having a good bit of physical evidence and dozens of interviews, over time, the trail went cold,” police said. “In the meantime, a baby boy grew up without a mother, parents buried their daughter without knowing justice, and a killer was walking around free”.<\/p>\n
Their success came after comparing open-source genealogy databases with DNA evidence found near McKinley\u2019s body.\u00a0Detectives in California used the same method to find Joseph James DeAngelo,<\/a>\u00a0a suspect in the infamous Golden State Killer cases.<\/p>\n The database led Pensacola police to several different people believed to be Mr Wells\u2019 distant cousins. After the discovery, authorities built a family tree to identify suspects, and subsequent investigations led to Mr Wells.<\/p>\n Police tailed him and took DNA evidence from a cigarette butt that he threw out of his car.<\/p>\n Mr Wells has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery, and is being held at Escambia Country Jail.<\/p>\n Timothy Davidson Jr, Ms McKinley\u2019s 35-year-old son, told The Daily Beast that he was happy at the news of the arrest, but would only feel \u201ccomplete when there is a conviction and justice has been served.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still kind of unbelievable, like I\u2019m dreaming,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n