Landlines (4) (850 . 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. McKinley in Pensacola, Florida, on the first day of 1985. This home is the most recent known address for Daniel. 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. "She can finally rest.". She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. 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. 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. We did this time and time again. "It's frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. There are 5 court records for "Daniel Wells" in "Escambia County". 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. 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. He was held without bond at Escambia County Jail and made his court appearance the following morning, where he professed his innocence. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. Daniel departed this 2,006 square foot home in 2003. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. Wells is being held without bond at Escambia County Jail and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning. But DNA in a public database eventually linked McKinley's killer to Wells' family and then to him, police said. 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. 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. Investigators collected semen, head hair and pubic hair from Tonya's body and the crime scene. On Wednesday evening, that day finally arrived with the arrest of Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, who was tied to the young woman's 1985 slaying thanks to DNA recovered from the butt of his. Name. Contact info for Daniel Wells in Pensacola, Florida: Phone number, address lookup, email address, and social networking profiles on Spokeo, your people search engine for contact info & public records. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. UNLOCK PROFILE. View property details and household demographic information related to income, investments, and interests. "This was a case that spanned three generations of detectives," said PPD Capt. The defendant got to live his life the last 35 years. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. Powerful social search locates profiles on social networks, dating sites, online shopping, web forums, music platforms, etc. Detectives in Pensacola said "evil won" in the unsolved murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley "until today.". We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida. The Escambia County Sheriff's Office confirmed Wells had been found dead in his cell. Detectives said they spoke to dozens of friends and other revelers at Darryl's Bar & Grille, not far from where McKinley was found on Jan. 1, 1985. 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. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. 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. and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution in Pensacola. 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 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. The victim was identified as Tonya, and an autopsy report stated she was assaulted with a blunt instrument, causing blunt-force trauma to her head. Pensacola Police announced Thursday that Daniel Leonard Wells, of Pensacola, was arrested Wednesday and charged with homicide and sexual battery. I'm positive of that.". Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. 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. It was just a normal New Years Eve.. 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. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Discover work experience, company details, and more. This was from an apparently self-inflicted injury, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners spokesperson Laura Coale told Law&Crime. Daniel and Jennifer have resided together in a single family house in Kansas City, MO. 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. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A 57-year-old man has been arrested for the 1985 cold case murder of 23-year-oldTonya Ethridge McKinley in Pensacola. Cops said they confirmed he was their suspect by getting his DNA from a discarded cigarette. Copyright 2023 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Daniel has lived in a single family house in Liberty, MO with Mary. They found a dead body and immediately notified the authorities. Detectives in California used the same method to identify and arrest Joseph James DeAngelo, a suspect in the Golden State Killer cases, in April 2018. Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. 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. From there, investigators said they found Wells and confirmed he was the killer after obtaining a discarded cigarette. Moreover, the winding roads and complex layout of the neighborhood convinced the cops that the killer hailed from the local community. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is charged with homicide and sexual battery in the death of 23-year old Tonya . 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. 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. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 9 people named Daniel Wells found in this area: includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton. However, the cause of death was determined to be strangulation, and she was alsosexually assaulted. Davidson was 18 months old at the time of the murder. The investigators had retrieved semen, head hair, and pubic hair from Tonyas body and the crime scene. When the emergency respondents arrived at the scene, they located the corpse lying next to the curb, with her pantyhose pulled down around her ankles and dress pulled up. The57-year-old pleaded not guilty on March 24 and was set for an arraignment in the first week of April. The 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, will never go to trial. Investigators nationwide say the genetics company have aided in solving cold cases. "Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her. She recounted how they danced, met with friends, and partied till the late night hours of New Years Eve. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Year's Day in 1985 at Darryl's Bar & Grille. Its frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice, he said. 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. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Years Day in 1985 at Darryls Bar & Grille. "What is important is that no one forgot Tonya. She was half naked and had been strangled and sexually assaulted, Pensacola police officers said. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". 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. 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 . Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Phone & Email (4) All Addresses (7) Family (3) The investigators initially could not find the cause of death or the identity of the body. We located 9 sex offenders matching the name "Daniel Wells" in the US. Court records viewed by Law&Crime show no attorney of record. Pensacola police make arrest in 35-year-old cold case murder using familial DNA, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He wasnt going to ever just say what he did on his own.. 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. 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