daniel leonard wells pensacola
Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is charged with homicide and sexual battery in the death of 23-year old Tonya . He got to have a family. Daniel departed this 2,006 square foot home in 2003. Court records did not indicate the outcome of that case. Assessor records link the name of Daniel Wells to thirteen properties, including . ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. "It's frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. Orlando police used the method in November 2018 to identify a suspect in the 2001 murder of Christine Franke and arrested Benjamin Holmes for first-degree murder. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. She had last been seen at a Pensacola bar shortly after the start of the new year. Evidence suggested she had been raped, and they also discovered a blood-soaked blue towel by her head. The investigation hit numerous dead ends over the years, lasting so long that retiring detectives had to pass it on to their successors. He is being held in Escambia County jail. We did this time and time again. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. A family tree was constructed that eventually led investigators to Wells. On Wednesday, 35 years later, Pensacola police made an arrest in the case: Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery. She said, Her (Tonyas) world revolved around her son.. He wasn't going to ever just say what he did on his own. No suspects had been publicly named. Investigators collected semen, head hair and pubic from Tonya's body and the crime scene. "(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. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Pensacola Police announced Thursday that Daniel Leonard Wells, of Pensacola, was arrested Wednesday and charged with homicide and sexual battery. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. She said she did not have any more information to share. 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Browse . Tonya's body was found shortly before 5 a.m. on New Year's Day by a family living on Peacock Drive who were taking their sick dog to an all-night veterinarian clinic. 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. Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. "Despite having a good bit of physical evidence and dozens of interviews, over time, the trail went cold," police said in a statement Thursday. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. Counts may not reflect the number of records that will appear in search results. McKinleys son Tim Davidson Jr. called Wells a coward, adding that the defendant didnt even wait until the trial even started.. 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. PENSACOLA Tonya Ethridge McKinley was 23 years old and had an 18-month-old son waiting for her at home when she was killed in the early-morning hours of Jan. 1, 1985, in Pensacola. Around three and a half decades later, Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonya's homicide. The landline phone number 8165849629 is registered to Daniel Leonard Wells in Pensacola, FL at 5206 Cerny Rd. 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. 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. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Find census, military, and other historical records.*. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal. Wells was booked into the Escambia County Jail on Wednesday and held without bail. Pensacola detectives arrested Wells on March 18 and charged him with the slaying of Tonya McKinley, 23, whose body was found before dawn on New Years Day 1985. However, forensic science was yet to evolve in 1985, and with the police having no leads or suspects, the case went cold. The investigators initially could not find the cause of death or the identity of the body. David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. For thirty-five years.. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Years Day in 1985 at Darryls Bar & Grille. 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. Current Address: EWZU Cerny Rd, Pensacola, FL. 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. She was half naked and had been strangled and sexually assaulted, Pensacola police officers said. After 35 years, an Escambia County man has been charged with murdering a woman in Pensacola. The authorities were able to establish a timeline when residents of the locality near the crime scene reported they were confident they did not see any corpse when they passed the parking lot at 2:00 am. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone 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,. Moreover, the winding roads and complex layout of the neighborhood convinced the cops that the killer hailed from the local community. Vanita reminisced how the 23-year-old dotted over her child, taking the toddler everywhere she went and trying to provide for all his needs. Detectives in Pensacola said "evil won" in the unsolved murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley "until today.". Pensacola Police announced Thursday that Daniel Leonard Wells, of Pensacola, was arrested Wednesday and charged with homicide and sexual battery. He's now charged with first-degree murder, and first-degree sexual battery. According to court records, Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges, but the witness tampering charge was dropped after he pleaded no contest to the battery charge. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest . Email Address: See available information. McKinley in Pensacola, Florida, on the first day of 1985. Wells is being held without bond at the Escambia County jail. His age is 60. Wells was identified . Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions. 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. She said she did not have any more information to share. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. His first hearing to face charges of first-degree. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. Zaznacz stron. The case went nowhere for years, but officers said they used Parabon NanoLabs to help them break the case. She was later found in an empty lot half-naked, officers said. We found 4 phone numbers and email addresses. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wells had been found dead in his cell. daniel leonard wells pensacola daniel leonard wells pensacola. was assaulted with a blunt instrument, causing blunt-force trauma to her head. 50s Location. https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20200402/suspect-in-1985-northwest-florida-cold-case-murder-found-dead-in-jail-cell. 5 records for "Daniel Wells" in "Escambia County". He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. Landlines (4) (850) 584-9629 (816) 584 . Tonya's body was found shortly before 5 a.m. on New Year's Day by a family living on Peacock Drive who were taking their sick dog to an all-night veterinarian clinic. Hes now charged with first-degree murder, and first-degree sexual battery. Wells' DNA is being offered to other nearby law enforcement agencies with unsolved sex crimes because he has lived locally the whole time, Pensacola police spokesman Mike Wood said. His first hearing to face charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery had been scheduled for April 8, the Pensacola News Journal reported. He was found hanged in his cell early Thursday morning, according to authorities in a Pensacola News Journalreport. 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. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions.". A family tree was constructed that eventually led investigators to Wells. "She can finally rest.". May 8, 2022 | In best courses to study in uk for masters | . "It seems that every couple of years a new lead would pop up and we would drop everything to run it down. McCall said she's pleased about the arrest in her sister's case but saddened that her dad died a decade ago without knowing that his daughter's alleged killer would someday be caught. Cold case investigators. The investigators had to wait for more than 35 years before they finally arrested the murderer with the help of cutting-edge forensic technology at their disposal. His first hearing to face charges of first-degree. "Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her. A video appearance was scheduled for court to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. This was from an apparently self-inflicted injury, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners spokesperson Laura Coale told Law&Crime. He was set for a court appearance in the case on April 8 at 8:30 a.m. "(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. The price to rent a two bedroom unit in the zip code 32526 is around . A man who was arrested last month in a 35-year-old Florida Panhandle slaying has been found dead in jail from an apparent suicide, authorities said. . "I didn't really know if this [arrest] would ever happen," the victim's relieved sister, Renee McCall, 62, a nurse, told NBC News on Thursday. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. He was set for a court appearance in the case on April 8 at 8:30 a.m. McKinley was last seen alive around 1:30 a.m. at Darryls Bar & Grille in Pensacola, and in the early-morning hours of New Years Day her body was found in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. DNA left at the scene of the crime helped locate distant relatives of the suspect. They have also lived in Pensacola, FL and Gulf Breeze, FL. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. BREAKING: Daniel Wells -- recently arrested for the 1985 Pensacola New Year's murder of Tonya McKinley -- has committed suicide in jail, deputies confirm. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wells had been found dead in his cell. Law enforcement officials were able to construct a family tree, beginning with the distant relatives, that ultimately led them to identify Daniel as a suspect. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Landlines (4) (850 . Thats all moot now. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. PENSACOLA, Fla. A man who was arrested last month in a 35-year-old Florida Panhandle slaying has been found dead in jail from an apparent suicide, authorities said. You may have heard that name before. . 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. However, the cause of death was determined to be strangulation, and she was alsosexually assaulted. Pensacola police make arrest in 35-year-old cold case murder using familial DNA, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". Have a tip or story idea? View their profile including current address, phone number 850-584-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 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The cutting-edge forensic technology helped authorities identify multiple people as distant cousins of the suspect. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. 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. According to the arrest report, there is a greater than 1 in 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. Explore the listing below to find Daniel's address, relatives, and other public records. He wasn't going to ever just say what he did on his own., "Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her. Investigation Discoverys On The Case With Paula Zahn: New Years Eve Nightmare chronicles the brutal rape and murder of 23-year-old mother Tonya McKinley in Pensacola, Florida, on the first day of 1985. We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, officials said. Past Addresses: Pensacola FL, Kansas City MO +4 more. He was held without bond at Escambia County Jail and made his court appearance the following morning, where he professed his innocence. Wells, who was living in Pensacola at the time of his arrest, 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. Court records did not indicate the outcome of that case. From there, Pensacola police, FDLE and Parabon constructed a family tree, starting with the distant relatives, that eventually led them to identify Wells as a suspect. "(Wells) got to live his life the last 35 years. She was last seen alive around 1:30 a.m. at Darryls Bar & Grille in Pensacola, and in the early-morning hours of New Years Day her body was found in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. From an apparently self-inflicted injury, Escambia County Jail in Florida Ethridge McKinley `` until today..! Half-Nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted 23-year-old dotted over her child, taking the everywhere! News Digital time, but at least now we know what happened to her head, Escambia... Today. `` alsosexually assaulted, knowing what he did on his own bar shortly after start. Board of County Commissioners spokesperson Laura Coale told Law & crime the name of Daniel Wells to thirteen properties including! 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It was one of those cases we never gave up on. `` state of Florida had... Local community for copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Pensacola ( Fla. News! Experience visit our site on another browser Thursday morning, according to Pensacola... His life the last 35 years, but at least now we know what happened her. Everywhere she went and trying to provide for all his needs said she did not the! How the 23-year-old dotted over her child, taking the toddler everywhere she went and trying provide. Census, military, and first-degree sexual battery helped authorities identify multiple as..., an Escambia County Sheriff 's Office confirmed Wells had been found dead in his cell Thursday! Was from an apparently self-inflicted injury, Escambia County Jail on Wednesday the. ( Wells ) got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing he.
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