Current:Home > BackVirginia police announce arrest in 1994 cold case using DNA evidence-InfoLens
Virginia police announce arrest in 1994 cold case using DNA evidence
View Date:2024-12-23 16:29:59
On November 20, 1994, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Lawrence was found stabbed to death inside her home, Fairfax County Police said. Her two-year-old daughter was found alone in another room of the house unharmed. The nearly 30-year-old case was solved, police said, using genetic genealogy analysis over three years.
Detectives say after coincidentally arriving at his house as Smerk was taking out his trash, they obtained a consensual DNA sample from him and later a "full confession" to the crime. Smerk, who was on active duty in the Army, was living at Fort Myers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., police said.
"He chose her seemingly randomly, and it was a heinous, heinous scene. And I've seen a lot of crime scenes in person and photographs of one, and this one was particularly gruesome," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
Smerk had no prior arrest record before being taken into custody this month, and police say there’s no reason to believe he was suspected of any similar crimes. Smerk had no connection to the victim, police said. He’s currently in custody in New York and is awaiting extradition to Virginia. ABC was not immediately able to locate a legal representative for Smerk.
"We as the family who's sitting here to my left would like to thank the Fairfax and Niskayuna police departments for their work on this case. We look forward to learning more about the process and next steps," Lauren Ovans, a cousin of the victim told reporters on Monday,
MORE: 2 cold case murders from 1980s solved with genetic genealogy: Police
DNA testing
Police collected DNA from the 1994 crime scene and created a DNA profile that had no matches, which was uploaded to the national database for DNA. The use of the genetic genealogy analysis helped break the case after cold case detectives submitted that DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia DNA technology-based company, police said.
The police force was able to develop "a profile using that DNA and began searching genealogical databases. They use that information to develop a family tree which they provided to our detectives and a volunteer who worked with our cold case detectives,” said Fairfax Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Eli Cory.
MORE: Suspected killer identified in 1987 cold case murder of woman on hiking trial
Investigation and confession
Before traveling to New York, Fairfax County cold case detectives say they compared the composite sketch to Smerk's high school yearbook picture and a DMV picture of him in the 1990s.
Detectives then went to Niskayuna, New York, and arrived at Smerk’s house. Detectives say they talked to him and Smerk willingly agreed to an additional DNA swab, authorities said. Police said that Smerk’s willingness to cooperate was “highly unusual, so that was a clue to our detectives that something may be afoot," Chief Davis said.
The Fairfax County cold case detectives left and were preparing to return to Virginia when they say Smerk called and told them, "I want to talk and I want to talk right now," police said. Detectives advised him to call 911 and go to the local police station, according to police.
Smerk, who is now a software engineer, "fully described his involvement. It is beyond involvement, he talked about killing Robin. And he talked a little bit about some more details that I won't go into, but it was a full confession. And it was a confession with more than enough details. Coupled with the genetic genealogy research," Chief Davis said on Monday.
Fairfax County Police say they have been in contact with the Army however, they believe Smerk will be prosecuted in the county.
"The evidence that we have the strength of this case is overwhelming. And we feel fully comfortable that he's going to be successfully prosecuted right here in Fairfax County," Chief Davis said.
veryGood! (683)
Related
- Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
- In Iowa, Sanders and Buttigieg Approached Climate from Different Angles—and Scored
- Dakota Pipeline Protest Camp Is Cleared, at Least 40 Arrested
- High-Stakes Wind Farm Drama in Minnesota Enters Final Act
- Who's hosting 'SNL' tonight? Musical guest, start time, where to watch Nov. 9 episode
- Wildfire smoke blankets upper Midwest, forecast to head east
- One Direction's Liam Payne Shares He's More Than 100 Days Sober
- House rejects bid to censure Adam Schiff over Trump investigations
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in Near Catastrophic 2-Hour Car Chase With Paparazzi
Ranking
- Donna Kelce Includes Sweet Nod to Taylor Swift During Today Appearance With Craig Melvin
- Kentucky high court upholds state abortion bans while case continues
- Are there places you should still mask in, forever? Three experts weigh in
- Midwest Convenience Stores Out in Front on Electric Car Charging
- Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
- Parents raise concerns as Florida bans gender-affirming care for trans kids
- Surge in Mississippi River Hydro Proposals Points to Coming Boom
- 86-year-old returns George Orwell's 1984 to library 65 years late, saying it needs to be read more than ever
Recommendation
-
Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
-
Trisha Yearwood Shares How Husband Garth Brooks Flirts With Her Over Text
-
Hilary Duff Reveals She Follows This Gwyneth Paltrow Eating Habit—But Here's What a Health Expert Says
-
14 Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious & Ooky Wednesday Gifts for Fans of the Addams Family
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Good Try (Freestyle)
-
In Charleston, S.C., Politics and Budgets Get in the Way of Cutting Carbon Emissions
-
5 Science Teams Racing Climate Change as the Ecosystems They Study Disappear
-
Climate Change Is Cutting Into the Global Fish Catch, and It’s on Pace to Get Worse