DNA Identifies Suspect in 1981 Homicide of Juanita Boyd

The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office says DNA and forensic genealogy work has identified the person investigators believe killed Juanita Boyd in 1981.

Boyd was reported missing February 22, 1981, after she did not return to her home on State Street in La Porte. Her disappearance was considered out of character, prompting a multi-agency search led by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office.

Six days later, on February 28, Boyd’s green Pontiac was found stuck in mud along an agricultural lane off Forrester Road, east of County Road 700 West in rural Coolspring Township.

Investigators said boards from a nearby structure had been placed under the vehicle’s rear tires in an apparent attempt to remove it from the mud. Boyd was found deceased inside the trunk of her vehicle. Her death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation.

Evidence collected at the scene included Boyd’s clothing and items from inside the vehicle. Years later, investigators developed a DNA profile from seminal fluid found in an undergarment, but initially found no match.

As DNA testing advanced, investigators began using forensic genealogy in the case. In July, investigators collected a DNA profile from an immediate relative of a potential suspect.

The sheriff’s office said investigators learned in October that the DNA profile from Boyd’s undergarment matched Carl “David” Phillips.

Phillips was 37 at the time of Boyd’s death and lived in La Porte County. Investigators said he had also lived near the area where Boyd’s vehicle was found as a juvenile and was familiar with the area.

The sheriff’s office said there is no known connection between Boyd and Phillips. The DNA evidence is the only evidence linking them.

Phillips died in La Porte County on September 24, 2017. The La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it would have charged him with Boyd’s murder if he were alive today.

While the identification will not lead to a prosecution, the sheriff’s office said it brings a significant breakthrough in a homicide investigation that had remained unsolved for more than 45 years.