Forensic evidence and DNA analysis have allowed US authorities to identify the man who allegedly killed two women in the late 1980s. Elroy Neil Harrison, 65, was arrested for the deaths of Jacqueline Lard in 1986 and Amy Baker in 1989.
The body of Jacqueline Lard, a 40-year-old real estate agent from Stafford County, Virginia, was found under an abandoned rug in neighboring Prince William County on November 15, 1986. At that time, autopsy results showed that the woman died. due to a head injury.
Authorities said signs of a “horrific fight” were found at the real estate office.
“It happened a long time ago and it shaped my life. I can look at most of the things I’ve done in my life and I think a lot of them have their origins in this event,” Edwin Lard, the victim’s son, recently said Washington Post.
On March 4 of this year, 37 years after the crime, Elroy Neil Harrison was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and assault. DNA testing also linked the man to the murder of Amy Baker.
The young woman was 18 years old when she was killed in March 1989 after visiting family in Falls Church. The body, found in a wooded area near the highway, showed signs of strangulation.
According to police in Fairfax, the county where the crime occurred, Baker’s car was found two days earlier by a police officer on the side of the road. The agent, seeing the abandoned car, ordered it to be towed.
After seeing that her daughter’s car had been towed, Baker’s mother searched it and discovered that her belongings were still inside. On March 31, the family searched the area where the car had broken down and discovered the body in the woods near the I-95 exit at Backlick Road in Springfield.
Detectives began an investigation and determined that Baker’s car ran out of gas on the way out. It is believed that the killer questioned the girl after she got out of the car in search of help.
DNA helps solve cases
The cases of Jacqueline Lard and Amy Baker remained unsolved for more than 30 years and have now been solved thanks to an investigation that began in 2021.
In 2021, Fairfax police submitted evidence to DNA Labs International in the murder of Amy Baker, resulting in a DNA profile.
Authorities created a DNA profile of suspect Baker and entered it into a Virginia database that eventually linked the case to Lard’s murder.
Forensic genealogy is becoming increasingly common in solving cold cases in Virginia. In September 2023, police arrested a man who stabbed a woman in West Springfield in 1994.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.