Niner
Long time Websleuther
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2003
- Messages
- 73,713
- Reaction score
- 231,765
https://www.kxxv.com/brazos/conroe-cold-case-murder-cracked-after-38-years-police-say
May 20, 2021
CONROE, Texas — After exactly 38 years since a Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy found a Houston woman's body in the woods, officials said they have their man.
Police said 75-year-old Thomas Elvin Darnell of Kansas City, Kan. has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Laura Marie Purchase, who was killed March 17, 1983.
[.....]
They said an autopsy later showed the woman had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and traces of male suspect's DNA were found on her body. It wasn't until over three years later FBI officials matched the victim's fingerprints to that of a missing Houston woman, police said.
[.....]
Police said investigators with the sheriff's office cold case squad submitted the mystery male's DNA for genealogy testing in October 2019. The genealogy report gave police an investigative tip pointing toward Darnell as a suspect.
[.....]
Exactly 38 years to the day of the murder, Montgomery County investigators traveled to Kansas City, Kan. on March 17 and collected a DNA sample from Darnell, officials said. Over a month later, results came back a positive match for the unknown man linked to the murder.
Police said Darnell was arrested and taken into custody at his home on May 11. Law enforcement then extradited Darnell to Texas, and he is currently in the Montgomery County jail being held without bond for the murder charge.
Man, 75, arrested for cold-case murder of Texas woman whose burning body was found in 1983 | Daily Mail Online
May 21, 2021
A suspected murderer faces execution over a 1983 sex killing whose victim was found on fire by police after DNA proved a serial killer falsely confessed to the crime.
Thomas Darnell, 75, was taken into custody at his home in Kansas last week and was extradited on Thursday to Montgomery County, Texas, where he was charged with capital murder for the 1983 killing of Laura Marie Purchase.
Darnell's arrest comes less than two years after investigators sent DNA evidence from the crime scene for analysis, which they say matched with Darnell.
More articles
Arrest made in decades-old Texas cold case murder, once falsely confessed to by serial killer
Arrest made in decades-old Texas cold case murder to which notorious serial killer had falsely confessed
If anyone can find an age for Laura - please post. I've gone thru a ton of articles & not one of them mentions her age.
May 20, 2021
CONROE, Texas — After exactly 38 years since a Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy found a Houston woman's body in the woods, officials said they have their man.
Police said 75-year-old Thomas Elvin Darnell of Kansas City, Kan. has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Laura Marie Purchase, who was killed March 17, 1983.
[.....]
They said an autopsy later showed the woman had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and traces of male suspect's DNA were found on her body. It wasn't until over three years later FBI officials matched the victim's fingerprints to that of a missing Houston woman, police said.
[.....]
Police said investigators with the sheriff's office cold case squad submitted the mystery male's DNA for genealogy testing in October 2019. The genealogy report gave police an investigative tip pointing toward Darnell as a suspect.
[.....]
Exactly 38 years to the day of the murder, Montgomery County investigators traveled to Kansas City, Kan. on March 17 and collected a DNA sample from Darnell, officials said. Over a month later, results came back a positive match for the unknown man linked to the murder.
Police said Darnell was arrested and taken into custody at his home on May 11. Law enforcement then extradited Darnell to Texas, and he is currently in the Montgomery County jail being held without bond for the murder charge.
Man, 75, arrested for cold-case murder of Texas woman whose burning body was found in 1983 | Daily Mail Online
May 21, 2021
A suspected murderer faces execution over a 1983 sex killing whose victim was found on fire by police after DNA proved a serial killer falsely confessed to the crime.
Thomas Darnell, 75, was taken into custody at his home in Kansas last week and was extradited on Thursday to Montgomery County, Texas, where he was charged with capital murder for the 1983 killing of Laura Marie Purchase.
Darnell's arrest comes less than two years after investigators sent DNA evidence from the crime scene for analysis, which they say matched with Darnell.
More articles
Arrest made in decades-old Texas cold case murder, once falsely confessed to by serial killer
Arrest made in decades-old Texas cold case murder to which notorious serial killer had falsely confessed
If anyone can find an age for Laura - please post. I've gone thru a ton of articles & not one of them mentions her age.
