After decades, a cold case in Pinetop, Arizona, took a significant turn with the arrest of Thomas Martin Duke for a 1988 sexual assault. As reported by AZFamily, DNA advancements helped identify Duke as the suspect who allegedly assaulted a woman working at a gas station over thirty years ago.
The Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department reopened the case nearly a year ago, according to FOX 10 Phoenix, with Detective Ricky Bunch citing DNA technology as a game-changer. In 1988, evidence collection was thorough but limited by the technology of the time, which required larger samples. Duke, who had served time for previous sexual offenses, was not considered a suspect until now.
On the morning of December 16,1988, a female clerk was forcibly taken from her workplace in Pinetop to a remote location and violently assaulted. Duke was taken into custody in Maricopa County and extradited to Navajo County, where he was indicted by a grand jury on kidnapping, sexual assault, and sexual abuse charges.
The Navajo County Attorney's Office also linked Duke to a 1997 sexual assault in Mesa, revealing his extensive criminal history. The breakthrough came from Phoenix's "test all" policy for sexual assault kits, which helped clear a backlog of 80 kits, as mentioned in a FOX10 Phoenix report. Phoenix officials reported that over the past eight years, more than 6,000 kits have been tested.
"I think it was a pretty big surprise when I contacted her, but you know, hopefully now that she knows who did this and it's going to go through the court process, which unfortunately can take awhile, she can get some closure at the end of it," Detective Bunch told FOX 10 Phoenix regarding the victim's reaction to the arrest. Duke's release hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Any individuals with information that may aid the case are encouraged to reach out to the Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department or contact the WeTip anonymous hotline.
