The case is one of many nationwide that have used new DNA testing and genetic searches to solve crimes.
Orange County prosecutors on Monday said they had identified the killer of two women in the 1980s with the help of DNA evidence.
Shannon Rose Lloyd, 23, was found dead shortly before midnight on May 21, 1987, in a room she rented in a house in Garden Grove. Forensic evidence would reveal she had been raped and strangled.In 2003, authorities linked the two cases to one person’s DNA but could not identify a suspect. Only with the advent of new DNA technology to do extensive genealogical searching were Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Garden Grove Police Department investigators able to put a name to the killer.
The DNA belonged to Reuben J. Smith, who took his own life in Las Vegas in 1999, Garden Grove Police Lt. Mario Martinez said Monday. Smith lived in Orange County in the 1980s, and in 1998 was accused of attacking a woman in Las Vegas and trying to kill her. “We should never call these cold cases,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said at a news conference. “That’s an inappropriate label today ... because of the advances in science. Every case is solvable.”
The case is one of many nationwide that have used new DNA testing and genetic searches to solve crimes since the method was used in 2018 to arrest and eventually convict the Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo. He pleaded guilty in 2020 to 13 murders.Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigator Robert Taft said the technological advances even since DeAngelo’s arrest helped make the case.A genealogical search identified Smith as a potential suspect last year.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
York County man found dead after skid loader accident: coronerA 35-year-old male was found dead on Sunday after an apparent skid loader accident at his residence in York County.
Read more »
Man dies days after pet snake wraps around neck in Lehigh County homeOfficials said Elliot Senseman died from anoxic brain injury due to asphyxiation by constriction. The coroner's office said the manner of death was an accident.
Read more »
Man in stable condition after police shooting in Lorain County; no officers injuredWellington Police Chief Time Barfield confirmed the man was armed with a knife when shot.
Read more »
Man shot and killed by woman at motel in southwest Harris County, deputies sayInvestigators said the woman called 911 stating she had shot a man in a room at the Stafford Inn after he became sexually aggressive with her.
Read more »
Man dies in crash involving three vehicles in Montgomery CountyA van, car and Metro bus were involved in a crash that left a man dead in Montgomery County, police said.
Read more »