30-Year-Old Drop Of Blood Helps Crack Murder Case In US

A three-decade-old murder of a Danby couple was solved by Vermont State Police officers in the United States using a drop of blood that was submitted to cutting-edge DNA testing, according to a report by CNN. In September 1989, George, 76, and Catherine, 73, were killed in their home, according to the Vermont State Police website. The couple had been stabbed to death, and there was no sign of forced entry.

A single drop of blood has led to the arrest of a suspect in the unsolved 1989 murders of Catherine and George Peacock in Danby, CNN reported.

According to a statement issued by the Vermont State Police, Anthony Louise, 79, was detained on two counts of second-degree murder in the killings of George and Catherine Peacock on Thursday in Syracuse, New York.

"Louise is jailed in New York pending extradition proceedings to Vermont, where he will face arraignment upon his return," the report said.

At the time of the killings, Louise was married to the couple's daughter. According to the police statement, he was named as a suspect just two weeks after his in-laws were killed.

Investigators at the time developed circumstantial evidence tying Louise to the killings, but were unable to establish a conclusive link until forensic testing in May 2020 confirmed a DNA match to George Peacock in a spot of blood found inside Louise's car in October 1989. The blood sample had been tested previously during the investigation, as DNA testing technology was emerging, and that earlier test had been inconclusive, police said.