A Vermont couple was found stabbed to death 33 years ago. A drop of blood found inside a car has led to an arrest.
A drop of blood that was subjected to modern DNA testing enabled Vermont State Police detectives to make an arrest in the 1989 murder of a Danby couple found stabbed to death in their home, police said.
Michael Anthony Louise, 79, was arrested Thursday in Syracuse, New York, on two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of George Peacock, 76, and Catherine Peacock, 73, state police said in a news release. The New York State Police assisted with the arrest.
The Peacocks were found dead on Sept. 17, 1989. There were no signs of forced entry or items of significance having been removed from the house.
Louise, who was married to one of the Peacocks' daughters, was identified as a suspect about two weeks later. Investigators at the time developed circumstantial evidence tying Louise to the killings, police said.
Detectives 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, but earlier tests had been inconclusive.
Police said "extensive investigation involving detectives and cold-case specialists over more than 33 years" led to the arrest.
It could not immediately be determined if Louise has an attorney.
Louise is in jail in New York pending extradition proceedings to Vermont, where he will be arraigned. It's unclear when he will be returned to Vermont to face charges.