March 20, 2020
The DNA evidence found on a discarded cigarette has allowed authorities in Florida to arrest the suspected killer in a decades-old cold case.
Daniel Wells was arrested on Wednesday and charged with sexual battery and the murder of 23-year-old Tonya McKinley, who was found dead on New Year's Day 35 years ago. The young mother was last seen alive at a Pensacola bar around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, 1985, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
Her body, which was left partially naked, was discovered in a parking lot hours later by a family rushing their dog to the vet for emergency care. DNA evidence including sperm was collected at the scene, but authorities did not ever publicly name a suspect in the case.
Investigators said McKinley was strangled to death and sexually assaulted.
"Despite having a good bit of physical evidence and dozens of interviews, over time, the trail went cold," authorities said in a statement on Thursday.
"It seems every couple of years a new lead would pop up and we would drop everything and run it down. We did it time and time again. 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."
A Year Later, Genealogy Identifies Second Suspect in 1970 Homicide March 22nd, 2024 A little over a year after identifying a suspect in the 1970 homicide of 16-year-old Pamela Lynn Conyers, the Anne A...
Officials grapple with major shakeups of Starke's city government March 22nd, 2024 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As of March 1, the Starke Police Department has been absorbed by the Bradford County Sheriff's O...
'Broken his oath.' Former Kentucky police officer jailed in drug thefts from office March 1st, 2024 A former Kentucky police officer who stole drugs from the evidence room because of his addiction was...