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. 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. The investigators initially could not find the cause of death or the identity of the body. Davidson was 18 months old at the time of the murder. Records viewed by Law&Crime show that Wells, 57, pleaded not guilty March 24 and was set for an arraignment Wednesday. 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. "It weighed a lot on him. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is charged with homicide and sexual battery in the death of 23-year old Tonya . He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. Additional court records revealed Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges. The drag marks and absence of blood at the scene indicated the murder had been committed somewhere else. We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida. "It's frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. From there, investigators said they found Wells and confirmed he was the killer after obtaining a discarded cigarette. 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. She had been fatally strangled, and sexually assaulted, police said. However, he was found dead inhis cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida on April 2, 2020. Wells was identified . 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 was found hanged in his cell early Thursday morning, according to authorities in a Pensacola News Journalreport. 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. Court records viewed by Law&Crime show no attorney of record. A video appearance was scheduled for court to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Uncover Daniel's photos, videos, and more , Personal details for Daniel may include . 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. Cold case investigators. McKinley, the mother of an 18-month-old boy, was seen alive early New Years Day in 1985 at Darryls Bar & Grille. 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,. The case went nowhere for years, but officers said they used Parabon NanoLabs to help them break the case. Investigators were secretly following Wells on March 4 when he tossed a cigarette out of his car, according to an arrest warrant. UNLOCK PROFILE. The 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, will never go to trial. David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. Their parting exchange was wishing each other New Year greetings, and Tonya stated she would see her the following morning. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions. "She can finally rest.". The investigators had retrieved semen, head hair, and pubic hair from Tonyas body and the crime scene. Spokeo's database, while extensive, does not contain all U.S. warrant, arrest, court, or other related records. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, officials said. 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. 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. 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. Have a tip or story idea? He has been charged with murder 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. 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. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Arrest: Pensacola police make arrest in 35-year-old cold case murder using familial DNA. 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. McKinleys son Tim Davidson Jr. called Wells a coward, adding that the defendant didnt even wait until the trial even started.. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Lets begin then, shall we? The 1985 killing of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, has been solved, say police in Pensacola, Florida. . ", Watch: PPD makes oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. "There are people out there who know (what happened). Daniel Leonard Wells' Arrest Photo (Image provided by Pensacola Police Department) Police needed him to discard something with DNA evidence, and eventually, an officer witnessed him tossing a cigarette butt. With the DNA from the cigarette butt, they were able to positively identify Wells' as the man who raped and murdered Tonya in 1985. She had last been seen at a Pensacola bar shortly after the start of the new year. 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. The arrest of Wells isnt an exception: cops say they found DNA at the scene of the crime. Search for profiles by email and username. On Wednesday, 35 years later, Pensacola police made an arrest in the case: Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. ", New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Scan this QR code to download the app now. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". 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. My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life, McKinleys now-grown son Timothy Davidson Jr. said according to the outlet. "There are people out there who know (what happened). "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. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on March 18 for the 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley. Find census, military, and other historical records.*. It wasn't immediately clear whether Wells had hired or been assigned an attorney, Wood said Thursday. 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. 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. 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. Phone & Email (4) All Addresses (7) Family (3) Emailus. Current Address: EWZU Cerny Rd, Pensacola, FL. Tonyas son Tim Davidson Jr. called Daniel a coward, adding that the defendant didnt even wait until the trial started. He said, Its frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. Vanita told the investigators the night of December 31, 1984, had begun festively with her, her husband, and Tonya going to Darryls Bar & Grille in Pensacola to celebrate the New Year countdown. 8 maja 2022. daniel leonard wells pensacola 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. Email Address: See available information. The defendant got to live his life the last 35 years. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions.". Moreover, the winding roads and complex layout of the neighborhood convinced the cops that the killer hailed from the local community. 9 people named Daniel Wells found in this area: includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton. Renee said Tonya loved Rod Stewart and KISS and was trying to make a better life for herself when she was killed. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20200402/suspect-in-1985-northwest-florida-cold-case-murder-found-dead-in-jail-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. Investigators nationwide say the genetics company have aided in solving cold cases. He got to be around his children and all those years he was out there, knowing what he did. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. 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For thirty-five years.. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. Its frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice, he said. Daniel lives at 5206 Cerny Rd, Pensacola, FL. She was always his favorite," McCall said of this bittersweet day. He was born on 1-06-1962. Daniel departed this 2,006 square foot home in 2003. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Daniel was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery. 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. 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. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on . Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. 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. Years later, thanks to advances in DNA testing, all of the evidence was identified as being from the same person, but no matches were ever found in the national DNA database. Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions.. McKinley in Pensacola, Florida, on the first day of 1985. 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. A family tree was constructed that eventually led investigators to Wells. Matthew Winkler Murder: Where is Mary Winkler Now. Around three and a half decades later,Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonyas homicide. 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. Police "immediately stopped and recovered the cigarette butt," which had DNA matching semen taken off the victim's body, according to the warrant. She said she did not have any more information to share. The investigation hit numerous dead ends over the years, lasting so long that retiring detectives had to pass it on to their successors. Wells is being held without bond at Escambia County Jail and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning. 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