"This was a case that spanned three generations of detectives," said PPD Capt. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Renee said Tonya loved Rod Stewart and KISS and was trying to make a better life for herself when she was killed. 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. [emailprotected]. 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. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Spokeo's database, while extensive, does not contain all U.S. warrant, arrest, court, or other related records. View their profile including current address, phone number 850-584-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. 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. 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. 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. Daniel Leonard Wells. He's now charged with first-degree murder, and first-degree sexual battery. 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. When asked whether Tonya was disturbed by anyone or garnered unwanted attention from strangers, Vanita said, At least I did not see any such thing. [emailprotected]. He was born on 1-06-1962. Top Result for Daniel Wells in Pensacola, FL 1 The best result we found for your search is Daniel Ray Wells age 50s in Fairhope, AL. 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. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Lets begin then, shall we? ", Watch: PPD makes oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. 50s Location. Around three and a half decades later, Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonya's homicide. Edited: Suspect in 35-year-old Pensacola cold case solved by familial DNA commits suicide in jail By Tony Adame Pensacola News Journal 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. He is being held in Escambia County jail. Additional court records revealed Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges. View property details and household demographic information related to income, investments, and interests. 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. Daniel has lived in a single family house in Liberty, MO with Mary. The 1985 killing of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, has been solved, say police in Pensacola, Florida. He is being held.. 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. "There are people out there who know (what happened). Click a city to find Daniel more easily. Uncover Daniel's photos, videos, and more , Personal details for Daniel may include . They found a dead body and immediately notified the authorities. "She can finally rest.". The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. 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. 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. He wasn't going to ever just say what he did on his own. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. "Until today. Detectives in Pensacola said "evil won" in the unsolved murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley "until today.". It wasn't immediately clear whether Wells had hired or been assigned an attorney, Wood said Thursday. 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,. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. DNA left at the scene of the crime helped locate distant relatives of the suspect. Investigators were secretly following Wells on March 4 when he tossed a cigarette out of his car, according to an arrest warrant. Tonya and Renee's father, Joe, died in April 2000. Watch: PPD makes oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Counts may not reflect the number of records that will appear in search results. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution in Pensacola. 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. Wells is being held without bond at Escambia County Jail and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning. Copyright 2023 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. 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. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions., [Mugshot via Pensacola Police Department], Have a tip we should know? Around three and a half decades later,Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonyas homicide. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. Cold case investigators. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. She had been fatally strangled, and sexually assaulted, police said. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts was assaulted with a blunt instrument, causing blunt-force trauma to her head. 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. 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. Investigators nationwide say the genetics company have aided in solving cold cases. "It's frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. Court records did not indicate the outcome of that case. She was half naked and had been strangled and sexually assaulted, Pensacola police officers said. For thirty-five years.. The presence or absence of records for any individual is not a guarantee of any kind. 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. He has been charged with murder and sexual battery. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on March 18 for the 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley. His first hearing to face charges of first-degree. 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 she did not have any more information to share. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. IE 11 is not supported. The arrest of Wells isnt an exception: cops say they found DNA at the scene of the crime. 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. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution in Pensacola. 9 people named Daniel Wells found in this area: includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton. Daniel and Jennifer have resided together in a single family house in Kansas City, MO. BREAKING: Daniel Wells -- recently arrested for the 1985 Pensacola New Year's murder of Tonya McKinley -- has committed suicide in jail, deputies confirm. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000. Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. His age is 60. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. With the DNA from the cigarette butt, they were able to positively identify Wells' as the man who raped and murdered Tonya in 1985. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. 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. This home is the most recent known address for Daniel. . He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Wells is being held without bond at Escambia County Jail and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning. "She can finally rest.". 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. "The reasons why this happened, how evil crossed Tonya's path, may never be answered and in the end may not be important," according to police. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wells had been found dead in his cell. 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. At the point, the process has become kind of routine. 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. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. 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. * Historical, vital, and court records and search results may require an additional purchase. The investigators interviewed several partygoers to learn the last time anyone had seen Tonya alive was around 1:15 am. 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. Wells was identified . 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. 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. ". 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. 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. 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