In 1975, a 19-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in the United States. For decades, the police searched in vain for the killer. Now the alleged perpetrator has been caught – thanks to DNA traces on a coffee mug.
On the evening of December 5, 1975, 19-year-old Lindy B. of Pennsylvania, USA, was found dead at her home by her uncle and aunt. Her body showed a large number of knife wounds on her neck, chest, abdomen and back. A knife was still stuck in her throat. In addition, her killer had sexually abused the young woman. When police arrived, they saw signs of a struggle. There was blood everywhere. On the outside of the front door, the wall in the entrance area and on the carpet.
For more than two decades, the police searched in vain for the perpetrator. In 1997, the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office submitted DNA evidence obtained from traces of semen found in the murder victim’s underwear. A male DNA profile was then created.
In 2000, this DNA profile was submitted to CODIS, a nationwide database containing DNA profiles of people convicted of certain crimes. But the profile found no matches.
Cold case in the USA: DNA hit solves murder case 46 years later
In 2019, a genetic genealogical analysis was carried out with the help of DNA. A man was targeted by investigators because of his Italian descent. In February 2022, they secretly extracted his DNA from a coffee mug he threw in a trash can before he left Philadelphia International Airport. To make sure they had the right man, they also checked for blood on the victim’s clothing that matched the suspect.
On Monday, Lancaster County Attorneys and the Manor Township Police Department announced the arrest of the 68-year-old suspect, who now faces murder charges. “Lindy B. was 19 years old when she was brutally murdered in her own home 46 years ago,” Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams said in a news conference. “This arrest marks the beginning of criminal proceedings in Lancaster County’s oldest unsolved murder and we hope it will bring some relief to the victim’s family and community members who have gone 46 years without answers.”
Quellen: Lancaster County DA’s Office,NBC
