Indiana
Missouri man arrested in Indiana woman's 1993 stabbing death
A Missouri man was charged with murder and rape in the fatal stabbing of a 19-year-old woman more than three decades after she was found dead in her Indianapolis apartment, authorities said Tuesday.
Dana Shepherd, 52, was arrested Aug. 20 in the 1993 killing of Carmen Van Huss after investigators used genetic genealogy — a technique that uses DNA evidence and genealogical research — to help identify her suspected killer, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release.
Authorities in Boone County, Missouri, surveilled Shepherd and took him into custody, deputy police Chief Kendale Adams told reporters.
Boone County jail records show Shepherd is being held without bond. Prosecutors in Marion County, Indiana, are seeking his extradition back to that state, according to the news release.
It wasn’t clear Tuesday if he has has a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Shepherd declined to speak with investigators after he was taken into custody, the police department said.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Van Huss’ brother said his sister was killed when he was a freshman in high school.
“There’s a lot of people that miss Carmen all these years,” Jimmy Van Huss said. “She had a lot of family, a lot of friends. She had cousins that loved her like a sister. She had an aunt and uncle that loved her like a daughter.”
“For my dad to have to find his daughter after what was brutally done to her makes this day bittersweet,” he added. “I wish he was here to see it.”
Carmen Van Huss was found dead in her apartment north of downtown Indianapolis on March 24, 1993, according to the news release.
After a co-worker at Pizza Hut told her father she hadn’t shown up to work, he found signs of a struggle at her apartment and his daughter’s body on the floor, NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis reported.
Citing the Marion County Coroner’s Office, the station reported that Van Huss had been stabbed 61 times.
In the decades that followed, detectives interviewed dozens of people and followed up on hundreds of leads, but the case remained cold until a detective provided a DNA sample in 2018 to Parabon NanoLabs, a genetic genealogy company that has worked with law enforcement agencies across the United States to solve cold cases.
Five years later, in the summer of 2023, a combination of that analysis and investigative work pointed to Shepherd as a suspect, the department said. Additional DNA testing showed that Shepherd’s genetic material matched evidence found on the victim’s body and at her apartment, the department said.
“For 31 years, the family of Carmen Van Huss has been searching for answers and justice,” Adams said. “While nothing can ever replace their loved one, we hope that today’s arrest brings them some measure of peace.”
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
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