DNA leads to suspect arrest in 2024 Santa Rosa fatal stabbing
Nearly a year after a woman was found stabbed to death at a Santa Rosa park, investigators have arrested a suspect following DNA analysis, police said Wednesday.
On July 21, 2024, at around 11 p.m., 61-year-old Lisa Shiffer-McCool was found unresponsive on the ground along Prince Memorial Greenway between Santa Rosa Avenue and A Street. She had been stabbed at least once and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Santa Rosa Police Department said in a social media post Wednesday that the case was challenging because of limited evidence but detectives followed leads through witness interviews, surveillance footage and DNA analysis, which ultimately led to the identification of a suspect.
On Tuesday, detectives took 23-year-old Santa Rosa resident Praveem Farmevai into custody at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility, where he was already being held on an unrelated robbery charge, police said. In addition, a search warrant was executed at Farmevai's home on Saint Irene Way near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, less than two miles east of the crime scene.
Detectives believe that Farmevai stabbed and possibly sexually assaulted Shiffer-McCool after a brief argument on the greenway. Police said no additional details of the possible sexual assault would be shared because the investigation was ongoing.
Police said detectives were seeking any information the public may have about Farmevai or other incidents with similar circumstances. Anyone with additional information related to this case was asked to contact the department's Violent Crimes Investigations Team at 707-543-3590 or submit an anonymous at www.srcity.org/CrimeTips.
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