It seems that every couple of years a new lead would pop up and we would drop everything to run it down, Pensacola cops said in a statement. "Until today. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters. According to the arrest report, there is a less than 1 in 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. She was later found in an empty lot half-naked, officers said. Wells was identified after Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based company working with the Pensacola Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, ran a DNA sample obtained from the scene of the crime through an open-source genealogy database and identified several different people believed to be distant cousins of the suspect. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. ", Watch: PPD makes oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. 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She said, Her (Tonyas) world revolved around her son.. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. Phone Number: (816) 468-UYKW +3 phones. According to the arrest report, there is a less than onein 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. She was later found dead at an empty lot. * Historical, vital, and court records and search results may require an additional purchase. It wasn't immediately clear whether Wells had hired or been assigned an attorney, Wood said Thursday. At the time of the incident, Tonya Ethridge McKinley and her 17-month-old son, Timothy, had moved in with her cousin, Vanita Biasco, to Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida, in late 1984, following a split with the infants father. Zaznacz stron. But for most of the time, they had no suspect in the killing of McKinley, who was survived by an 18-month-old son. Daniel has lived with Polly in Pensacola, FL. Records viewed by Law&Crime show that Wells, 57, pleaded not guilty March 24 and was set for an arraignment Wednesday. View Dan Rowdy Wells's record in Pensacola, FL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on . The investigation hit numerous dead ends over the years, lasting so long that retiring detectives had to pass it on to their successors. He was found hanged in his cell early Thursday morning, according to authorities in a Pensacola News Journalreport. Tonya's older sister, Renee Ethridge, has run the "Tonya Ethridge McKinley Memorial" page on Facebook since 2012 in hopes of keeping her sister's case in the public eye. According to court records, Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 for battery and witness tampering, but the witness tampering charge was dropped after he pled no contest to the battery charge. This home is the most recent known address for Daniel. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Spokeo's database, while extensive, does not contain all U.S. warrant, arrest, court, or other related records. "(Wells) got to live his life the last 35 years. Pensacola police make arrest in 35-year-old cold case murder using familial DNA, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Around three and a half decades later,Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonyas homicide. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. View property details and household demographic information related to income, investments, and interests. The cutting-edge forensic technology helped authorities identify multiple people as distant cousins of the suspect. She said she did not have any more information to share. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Wells was being charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery and was scheduled to be in court on April 8 for his first hearing in the case. "She can finally rest.". Current Address: EWZU Cerny Rd, Pensacola, FL. . McKinleys son Tim Davidson Jr. called Wells a coward, adding that the defendant didnt even wait until the trial even started.. He is being held in Escambia County jail. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The Pensacola Police Department collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs to run a DNA sample recovered from the crime scene through an open-source genealogy database. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Years Day in 1985 at Darryls Bar & Grille. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Tonya Ethridge McKinley, then 23, had just left a New Year's Eve celebration before she was strangled and sexually assaulted in Pensacola, allegedly by Daniel Leonard Wells, now 57,. David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Police credit Parabon NanoLabs with helping them break the case. It was just a normal New Years Eve.. . Emailus. DNA left at the scene of the crime helped locate distant relatives of the suspect. From there, the Pensacola police, FDLE and Parabon constructed a family tree, starting with the distant relatives, that eventually led them to identify Wells as a suspect. Phone & Email (4) All Addresses (7) Family (3) Investigators collected semen, head hair and pubic from Tonya's body and the crime scene. "(Tonya) can rest now," Renee said after being told of Wells' arrest. Tonya and Renee's father, Joe, died in April 2000. Daniel and Jennifer have resided together in a single family house in Kansas City, MO. 50s Location. Cops said they confirmed he was their suspect by getting his DNA from a discarded cigarette. Landlines (4) (850 . PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A 57-year-old man has been arrested for the 1985 cold case murder of 23-year-oldTonya Ethridge McKinley in Pensacola. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Two weeks after his arrest in a 35-year-old cold case murder, Daniel Leonard Wells was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, dead of an apparent suicide just days before he was scheduled to make a court appearance in the case. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery in the 1985 murder of 23-year-old Tonya Ethridge McKinley. "This was a case that spanned three generations of detectives," said Captain Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. At the point, the process has become kind of routine. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Detectives in Pensacola said "evil won" in the unsolved murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley "until today.". From there, the Pensacola police, FDLE and Parabon constructed a family tree, starting with the distant relatives, that eventually led them to identify Wells as a suspect. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriffs office. DNA evidence lifted from a discarded cigarette led Florida police to the man they believe killed a young mother 35 years ago, authorities said Thursday. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. "(Wells) is a coward he didn't even wait until the trial even started," said McKinley's son, Tim Davidson Jr., who was just 18 months old when his mother was murdered. UNLOCK PROFILE. On January 1, 1985, a mother and her daughter were driving their sick dog to the vet when they made a horrifying discovery in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Tonya Ethridge McKinley, then 23, had just left a New Year's Eve celebration before she was strangled and sexually assaulted in Pensacola, allegedly by Daniel Leonard Wells, now 57, according to police. We found 4 phone numbers and email addresses. Past Addresses: Pensacola FL, Kansas City MO +4 more. On Wednesday, 35 years later, Pensacola police made an arrest in the case: Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of. More than anything, Renee said, Tonya loved her then-18-month-old son, Timothy Davidson Jr., who family members affectionately referred to as Timbo when he was a child. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution in Pensacola. However, Vanita said the young mother was not yet ready to call it a night and requested to pick up her son on her behalf. Police arrested 57-year-old Daniel Leonard Wells (Escambia County Jail) A 57-year-old man has been arrested 35 years after the murder of a young mother in Florida. She had last been seen at a Pensacola bar shortly after the start of the new year. Daniel moved out of this 3.5 bath home in 2016. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Wells was booked into the Escambia County Jail on Wednesday and held without bail. We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida. However, forensic science was yet to evolve in 1985, and with the police having no leads or suspects, the case went cold. Today, the evil that took Tonya from her friends and family was arrested for her brutal murder.". "Each time, evil won, just out of reach," police said of the 35-year gap. Also, the way he had disposed of the body and other evidence, such as her purse and shoes, indicated the perpetrator was in a hurry. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. 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This was from an apparently self-inflicted injury, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners spokesperson Laura Coale told Law&Crime. Landlines (4) (850) 584-9629 (816) 584 . The investigators initially could not find the cause of death or the identity of the body. [emailprotected]. IE 11 is not supported. "(Tonya) would fight hard for me she would fight for me and I've gotta fight for her," Renee told WKRG in a 2008 interview. From there, investigators said they found Wells and confirmed he was the killer after obtaining a discarded cigarette. [Image of McKinley via Pensacola Police Department; mugshot of Wells via Escambia County], Have a tip we should know? According to police sources, the alleged murderer had died from self-inflicted injuries. She had last been seen at a Pensacola bar shortly after the start of the new year. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery in the 1985 murder of 23-year-old Tonya Ethridge McKinley. In the meantime, a baby boy grew up without a mother, parents buried their daughter without knowing justice, and a killer was walking around free. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery in the 1985 murder of 23-year-old Tonya Ethridge McKinley. But DNA in a public database eventually linked McKinley's killer to Wells' family and then to him, police said. Wells was recently identified after a Virginia-based company working with the Pensacola Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ran a DNA sample from the crime scene through an open-source genealogy database and identified several distant cousins of the suspect. From Haiti Through Liberty City to Top Federal Prosecutor in South Florida: the Unlikely Story of Markenzy Lapointe, Broward Judge to Allow Rapper Kodak Black to Enter Drug Treatment Program, Ex-UM Football Player Accused of Killing Teammate Granted $850K Bond. The 1985 killing of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, has been solved, say police in Pensacola, Florida. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Year's Day in 1985 at Darryl's Bar & Grille. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Find census, military, and other historical records.*. It is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history and the first time the familial DNA method has been used to solve a case in Northwest Florida. The57-year-old pleaded not guilty on March 24 and was set for an arraignment in the first week of April. 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