INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD said the use of genetic genealogy testing helped solve an assault case from nearly 50 years ago.
In a press conference held on Jan. 18, IMPD announced they had solved the 1975 case in which a 13-year-old, 11-year-old, and 14-year-old were assaulted and stabbed.
On Aug. 19, 1975, at 10:45 p.m., Kandice Smith, 13, Sheri Rottler Trick, 11, and Kathie Rottler, 14, were leaving a gas station on Washington Street, near Belmar Avenue on Indianapolis' far east side.
The girls decided to hitchhike to Post Road. A white male driving a station wagon stopped to give them a ride.
As the girls arrived near their destination, the man did not stop. He accelerated past Post Road and eventually stopped the car in Greenfield. When one of the girls attempted to exit the car, she noticed the handle had been removed.
After pointing a gun at one of the girls' head, the man drove to a cornfield, where he stabbed all three girls and sexually assaulted one. The girls were left for dead but managed to make it back to the main road where they were rescued.
All three girls survived the attack, but the mystery of who committed the crime remained.
Police jurisdictions from across central Indiana worked together to analyze the crime.
Over the years, the survivors kept in contact with police, but a suspect never materialized. A composite sketch of a possible suspect was developed, but the case eventually became cold.
In 2018, IMPD Sgt. David Eillison was contacted by the survivors and agreed to obtain evidence from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office to have it analyzed.
In 2021, Ellison learned forensic scientists had successfully recovered DNA from pieces of evidence and was able to develop a profile on an unknown man.
Investigators believed the DNA profile that had been developed was the suspect in the assault case. In 2023, Ellison applied for the samples to be tested for genetic genealogy by DNA Labs International, a private forensic DNA lab in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The suspect was identified as Thomas Edward Williams, of Indianapolis. He died Nov. 13, 1983, in prison in Galveston, Texas.
“I want to thank you for your patience, and mostly your persistence, never giving up,” Ellison said to the victims Jan. 18. “This was an act of evil that none of you deserved. I hope today brings you some sort of closure, knowing that your attacker has been identified, and that he’s no longer in this world.”
Ellison said Williams' family was cooperative and supportive of the investigation. They provided DNA samples to help confirm investigators' findings.
“I want to thank all the investigators who worked on this case, some who are in this room, many who are not,” Rottler said. “My message to other survivors out there is, ‘Never give up, and continue to fight to keep your case open.’”
A major hurdle in solving the crime late in the investigation was funding. Audiochuck, an Indianapolis-based media company, stepped in and helped provide the necessary funding to test the DNA samples from Williams' family against the DNA profile built by investigators.
“I do forgive this man. I had to in order to continue to live my life,” Rottler Trick said.
“It means closure for me. It puts peace in my heart,” Smith said.