After a mystery that persisted for three decades, authorities have finally put a name to the suspect in the cold case homicide of Melonie White, who was found dead back in 1994 near Lake Mead; the revelation comes following advanced DNA testing and genetic genealogy techniques. According to a recent update from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, which can be seen on their official website, the suspect was identified as Arthur Joseph Lavery, who has since deceased as of February 2021.
On August 27, 1994, a woman named White was found dead by two hikers near Gypsum Wash. She had been strangled and suffered head injuries, a shocking act of violence. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department quickly took charge of the investigation, but initial leads went nowhere, and the case went cold over time. In 2010, detectives looked at the evidence again and entered a DNA profile into the Combined DNA Index System, but it didn't lead to any immediate results.
However, with the advent of forensic genetic genealogy, the Vegas Justice League partnered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department cold case detectives to send the DNA profile to Othram, a specialist laboratory. This tenacious pursuit of justice bore fruit when, on August 26, Othram successfully linked the DNA evidence to Arthur Joseph Lavery.
Lavery, a former Las Vegas resident at the time of White's murder, moved to California in the mid-2000s. He avoided facing justice for his alleged actions and died in February of last year from heart disease and COVID complications. Although he is now beyond the reach of the law, this identification still honors the years of work by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to seek answers. Despite his death, this news brings some closure to a case that had been silent for so long.
