Latest news with #PhyllisBailer
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Woman's Killer, Who Left Her 3-Year-Old Unharmed, Found 50 Years Later
Originally appeared on E! Online An Indiana woman's 50-year-old murder case is finally getting answers. Five decades after she was found dead in a ditch on the side of a road with her 3-year-old daughter unharmed by her side, Phyllis Bailer's killer has been identified by authorities. Forensic genetic genealogy has led officials to determine Fred Allen Lienemann was the 26-year-old mom's assailant, the Indiana State Police shared in an April 16 press release. Lienemann's DNA was found on Bailer's clothing, per police. He would have been 25 at the time of her 1972 murder, which occurred while she was traveling in her parents' car from Indianapolis to Bluffton, I.N., with her 3-year-old daughter, per the release. "Lienemann had no known connections to Phyllis Bailer," officials continued of the Michigan-born man in the release, "but had a significant criminal history." And while authorities are confident that the DNA testing has led them to the correct killer, the Indiana State Police noted that they are unable to convict Lienemann, who sexually assaulted Bailer before fatally shooting her and leaving her on the side of the road, according to an autopsy obtained by the department. More from E! Online Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Make First Public Outing Since Welcoming Baby Laura Prepon and Ben Foster's Divorce Settlement Reveals Their Eye-Popping Incomes 9-1-1 Killed Off a Major Character in Intense Season 8 Episode "During their investigation, detectives learned that Fred Lienemann was murdered in Detroit in 1985," the release stated. "If Fred Lienemann were alive today, the Allen County Prosecutor's Office would have charged him with the murder of Phyllis Bailer." As for why it took 50 years to solve Bailer's case? Police noted that DNA testing was not available in 1972 and was not widely used by law enforcement officials until two decades later. Additionally, new forensic technology that was developed by the company Identifinders in 2024 allowed police to pull a stronger DNA profile from Bailer's clothes, as opposed to the partial profile they had previously collected in the investigation. 'Identifinders is proud to have supported the Indiana State Police with bringing long overdue answers to Phyllis and her family," Identifinders founder Colleen Fitzpatrick shared in the press release. "This case is an example of still another homicide that would never have been solved without Forensic Genetic Genealogy." For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Cold case solved over 50 years after a young mom was killed, her 3-year-old daughter left alive
Over 50 years after a mom was killed and her daughter was left abandoned with her body, the young mom's cold case murder has been solved, Indiana authorities said. On the night of July 7, 1972, Phyllis Bailer, 26, and her 3-year-old daughter were driving the 100 miles from Indianapolis to Bluffton, Indiana, to visit Bailer's parents -- but they never made it, the Indiana State Police said. The next morning, around 10:30 a.m., Bailer's car was found empty in Grant County, Indiana, police said. MORE: Judge set to decide if Menendez brothers can be resentenced, but DA may ask for delay About one hour later, a woman driving in Allen County, Indiana, discovered Bailer and her daughter along the side of the road in a ditch. Bailer had been sexually assaulted and shot to death, police said. Her 3-year-old daughter was with her and unharmed. No arrests were made. Years later, a partial DNA profile was developed from Bailer's clothing, which eliminated authorities' main suspect, police said. The murder continued to go unsolved for decades. MORE: Mom charged with murder for allegedly drowning 7-year-old daughter: DA Last year, "a much stronger DNA profile" was developed from Bailer's clothes, police said, and investigators started working with a forensic genealogy company. Genetic genealogy is an investigative tool -- first used in 2018 in the arrest of the Golden State Killer -- in which unknown DNA from a crime scene is identified by comparing it to family members who voluntarily submit DNA samples to a database. Through genetic genealogy, police identified Fred Allen Lienemann as the person who left DNA on Bailer's clothing, authorities announced on Wednesday. Lienemann, who was 25 years old at the time of the murder, "had no known connections to Phyllis Bailer but had a significant criminal history," police said. Lienemann was killed in Detroit in 1985, police said. If he was alive, prosecutors would charge him with Bailer's murder, police said. "Phyllis Bailer never made it to Bluffton to visit her family," state police spokesperson Sgt. Wes Rowlader wrote on social media. "After years of questions, this family finally has answers about what happened to her." Cold case solved over 50 years after a young mom was killed, her 3-year-old daughter left alive originally appeared on
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Cold case solved over 50 years after a young mom was killed, her 3-year-old daughter left alive
Over 50 years after a mom was killed and her daughter was left abandoned with her body, the young mom's cold case murder has been solved, Indiana authorities said. On the night of July 7, 1972, Phyllis Bailer, 26, and her 3-year-old daughter were driving the 100 miles from Indianapolis to Bluffton, Indiana, to visit Bailer's parents -- but they never made it, the Indiana State Police said. The next morning, around 10:30 a.m., Bailer's car was found empty in Grant County, Indiana, police said. MORE: Judge set to decide if Menendez brothers can be resentenced, but DA may ask for delay About one hour later, a woman driving in Allen County, Indiana, discovered Bailer and her daughter along the side of the road in a ditch. Bailer had been sexually assaulted and shot to death, police said. Her 3-year-old daughter was with her and unharmed. No arrests were made. Years later, a partial DNA profile was developed from Bailer's clothing, which eliminated authorities' main suspect, police said. The murder continued to go unsolved for decades. MORE: Mom charged with murder for allegedly drowning 7-year-old daughter: DA Last year, "a much stronger DNA profile" was developed from Bailer's clothes, police said, and investigators started working with a forensic genealogy company. Genetic genealogy is an investigative tool -- first used in 2018 in the arrest of the Golden State Killer -- in which unknown DNA from a crime scene is identified by comparing it to family members who voluntarily submit DNA samples to a database. Through genetic genealogy, police identified Fred Allen Lienemann as the person who left DNA on Bailer's clothing, authorities announced on Wednesday. Lienemann, who was 25 years old at the time of the murder, "had no known connections to Phyllis Bailer but had a significant criminal history," police said. Lienemann was killed in Detroit in 1985, police said. If he was alive, prosecutors would charge him with Bailer's murder, police said. "Phyllis Bailer never made it to Bluffton to visit her family," state police spokesperson Sgt. Wes Rowlader wrote on social media. "After years of questions, this family finally has answers about what happened to her." Cold case solved over 50 years after a young mom was killed, her 3-year-old daughter left alive originally appeared on
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
DNA helps Indiana State Police solve Indy mom's 1972 murder
A murder case that sat cold for more than half a century has finally been solved, the Indiana State Police announced Wednesday. On July 7, 1972, Phyllis Bailer and her 3-year-old daughter were driving from their home in Indianapolis to Bailer's mother's home in Bluffton. They never arrived, and family filed a missing persons report. The next morning, Bailer's car was found abandoned on I-69 in Grant County. A short time later, Bailer and her little girl were found in a ditch on the side of the road in Allen County. Bailer had been sexually assaulted and shot to death. Her child was alive and physically unharmed. Police were unable to find the killer. Even though DNA evidence was recovered from the scene, testing wasn't available in 1972. A partial profile developed years after her murder eliminated the main suspect, and the case went cold. But in 2024, the Indiana State Police Laboratory was able to develop a strong DNA profile from Bailer's clothing. The ISP Cold Case Team and Allen County Police Department worked with Identifiers International, a California-based forensic company, to identify close familial relatives of the killer based on that DNA. That led them to Fred Allen Lienemann of Grosse Pointe, Mich. He was 25 at the time of Bailer's death. Lienemann had no connection to Bailer but had a "significant criminal history" and was born near Anderson, Indiana. Lienneman was killed in Detroit in 1985. If he were alive today, the Allen County Prosecutor's Office would have charged him with Bailer's murder, officials said. Cold case: Search for a slasher in Indiana "This case is an example of still another homicide that would never have been solved without forensic genetic genealogy," said Identifiers International founder Colleen Fitzpatrick. Genetic genealogy has been used to solve high-profile cases like that of California's Golden State Killer. In 2018, police used the technique to identify the man who had killed 8-year-old April Marie Tinsley in 1988. Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: DNA helps Indiana State Police solve Indianapolis mom's 1972 murder
