The corpse of Kristin Lardner, 19, was found in a wooded area close to her Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, home in the early hours of May 10, 1998 (Doty, 2020; Jr, 1992). Kristin’s corpse was discovered naked from the waist down after she had been raped and strangled. Her clothes and shoes were discovered strewn around, and she had ligature marks on her wrists. Over her head was a plastic grocery bag, and close by were her handbag and its contents.
At the crime scene, where they started their search for evidence, investigators discovered several pertinent things. A plastic grocery bag and a pair of her sneakers were discovered near Kristin’s body. Additionally, a piece of rope that looked to have been used to bind her wrists was discovered by the investigators close to the corpse. Additionally, several bloodstains were on the ground next to the body, demonstrating that Kristin had been raped and killed by being strangled. Additionally, prints from the victim’s clothing and the ligatures were removed. Semen and blood samples were also taken from the victim’s body.
Investigators interviewed several witnesses who had seen Kristin in the days before her murder in addition to the evidence that was discovered at the crime scene. A friend of Kristin’s who was a witness claimed to have seen her out with a man who matched the suspect’s description before her corpse was discovered. On the night of the murder, a different witness claimed to have seen a guy who matched the suspect’s description close to the site.
The investigators developed a profile of the suspect based on the evidence collected at the crime scene and the eyewitness reports. The suspect was a white male, approximately 6 feet tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was believed to be in his late twenties or early thirties and was thought to be a transient or someone who was not from the Grosse Pointe Woods area.
Due to parallels between Kristin’s death and the murders of two other women in the Detroit region, the suspect was also suspected of being a serial rapist or killer. Both women’s bodies were discovered naked from the waist down after being raped and strangled to death. Both times, the ladies’ bodies were discovered with their clothing and shoes were strewn around, and a plastic shopping bag was placed over their heads.
The fact that the suspect was spotted with Kristin and close to the crime site the night of her murder led investigators to conclude that he may have followed her in the days before her death. In order to stalk Kristin, the suspect would need to be aware of her schedule, which raises the possibility that he knew her. Anyone who knows the incident is advised to call the Grosse Pointe Woods Police Department since the suspect is highly dangerous (Doty, 2020; Jr, 1992).
The crime lab was contacted to examine the material gathered from the crime site. The victim’s clothes and the ligatures’ lifted fingerprints were matched to the database’s fingerprints of known perpetrators. Additionally, the hair and skin samples taken from the ligatures matched the hair and skin samples from people convicted of crimes in the database. The victim’s blood and semen samples were matched to blood and semen samples from known offenders in the database.
The autopsy determined the cause of death to be strangling. The ligature used to strangle the victim was likely some rope or cable. The victim’s hands also had defensive wounds, indicating that she had attempted to fend off her assailant. It is evident from the evidence that the victim was kidnapped, raped, and then killed. The fingerprint, blood, DNA, hair, and skin analyses were compared to the database’s list of known offenders.
Additionally, there was a match between the fingerprints taken from the garments and ligatures and those of a known offender. The hair and skin samples taken from the ligatures also matched those of a known felon. Additionally, the DNA samples taken from the victim’s corpse and the ligatures matched that of a known offender.
John Doe, a 37-year-old Caucasian guy, is the recognized criminal with whom the evidence corresponded. John Doe is a vagrant detained because of rape, murder, and arson. He is now on the FBI’s Most Wanted list and is thought to be highly dangerous. It is apparent from the evidence that John Doe is the main suspect in this case. He has a violent past, and the DNA evidence found at the location of the crime matches him. He is the only known criminal who fits the suspect’s description. Investigators suspect that John Doe was aware of the victim’s routine and may have followed her the days before her death (Indicting John Doe: When All You Have Is DNA – CNN.com, n.d.).The evidence collected at the crime scene, combined with the eyewitness reports and the suspect’s history, lead investigators to believe that John Doe is the perpetrator of this crime.
References
Doty, K. (2020). Girl Riot, Not Gonna Be Quiet – Riot Grrrl, #MeToo, and the Possibility of Blowing the Whistle on Sexual Harassment. Hastings Women’s Law Journal, pp. 31, 41. https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/haswo31&div=6&id=&page=
Indicting John Doe: When all you have is DNA – CNN.com. (n.d.). Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/10/court.indicting.dna/index.html
Jr, G. L. (1992, November 22). THE STALKING OF KRISTIN. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1992/11/22/the-stalking-of-kristin/a569041c-6f52-4d44-b9b3-82b7f8cdda6d/
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