Indianapolis police make arrest in 31-year-old murder case
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Thirty-one years ago, Carmen Van Huss’ father found his daughter’s dead body at her apartment.
She was stabbed 61 times on head, face and body. She was naked and raped.
Decades later, that family can finally rest after Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found a breakthrough in this cold case due to a DNA genealogy test.
Carmen’s brother Jimmy said in a news conference Tuesday, “For my dad to find his daughter after what was brutally done to her, it’s bittersweet. I wish he was here to see it.”
“She was taken from me when I was a freshman in high school and, thankfully, finally, the man who did this is where he needs to be.”
Dana Shepherd, 52, from Missouri, was arrested. Detectives matched his DNA to that of the crime scene through genetic genealogy analysis. Shepherd was charged with two counts of murder and a count of rape with deadly force. Police says an extradition hearing will be scheduled in the next few days to bring Shepherd to Indianapolis.