FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WTHR) - Finally some answers for the family of a little girl in Fort Wayne, who was abducted, raped and murdered 30 years ago.
Eight-year-old April Tinsley disappeared while walking to a friend's house. Three decades later, DNA evidence led police to her suspected killer.
That suspect, John D. Miller, went before a judge for the first time Monday, one day after police say he confessed to Tinsley's murder.
Outside the criminal justice center in Allen County, "Kim" held a message of relief. The childhood friend of April Tinsley stood in the rain, carrying a sign that read: "He got caught. April Marie Tinsley gets justice."
"It's just been played over and over in my head for 30 years," Kim said.
"Oh my God, 30 years. Thank God we finally got him," said Tinsley's aunt, Theresa Tinsley.
She was in the courtroom as 59-year-old John D. Miller, the man accused of killing her young niece three decades ago, faced a judge for the first time.
"I expected a monster. And that's exactly what I seen, just a monster," Tinsley said.
Police say on Sunday, Miller confessed to the cold case that terrified the Fort Wayne community for decades. Tinsley was raped, suffocated and dumped in a ditch in the spring of 1988.
Her murderer taunted police and neighbors with poorly-written notes that included promises to kill again.
"When you think of something like that and you see her picture periodically, it just brings back that day and it goes through your mind, 'Did I see him? Was he looking at us while we were playing?'," Kim said.
DNA was key to finally cracking this case. Parabon NanoLabs compared DNA evidence from the crime to a public genealogy database - the kind of database where people submit a test to trace their family tree. Scientists looked for people who shared a significant amount of DNA with the person who killed April, even distant relatives.
CeCe Moore is the head of the genetic genealogy unit at Parabon NanoLabs, which worked on this case.
"We definitely don't need the suspect to have tested or even a really close relative," Moore said. "We can use up to second or third cousins for this type of work. In some cases, I've even used more distant fourth cousins, and fourth cousins twice-removed. They're not likely to test and upload their DNA to this website, but that doesn't stop us from finding them."
They found a link to two brothers, including John Miller. They say that DNA comparison led directly to April Tinsley's killer.
"What we're doing is actually not that new, it's the application to law enforcement is what's new. It is quite an honor to be able to help them with this," Moore said.
State police and Fort Wayne police then put Miller's home under surveillance and eventually tested condoms found in a legal search of the trash at his trailer home. They say they matched DNA in the Tinsley case.
April's family said it's emotional to have answers, after 30 agonizing years.
"We're finally gonna get some justice for that baby," Theresa Tinsley said. "That's all that counts. That's all that matters to me."
John Miller is expected back court later this week, once formal charges are filed.
Police and prosecutors should reveal more about how they solved the cold case during a news conference scheduled for Tuesday.