The murder of April Marie Tinsley
Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana · 1988
Overview
April Marie Tinsley, 8, was abducted on April 1, 1988 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and her body was found three days later in a DeKalb County ditch. For years her killer left taunting notes; in 2018 investigative genetic genealogy identified John D. Miller of Grabill, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 80 years.
How it was solved
In 2018 the Fort Wayne Police Department sent crime-scene DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, whose genetic-genealogy unit uploaded the profile to the public GEDmatch database. Genealogist CeCe Moore narrowed the suspect to two brothers; police then collected condoms from a trash pull at John D. Miller's home, and that DNA matched DNA recovered from Tinsley's clothing.
Sources
- Murder of April Tinsley
“May 21, 1990 - Barn message discovered ... 'I kill 8 year old April Marie Tisley...did you find the other shoe haha I will kill again.'”
- John D. Miller, April Tinsley's killer, dead at 66
“Tinsley disappeared on April 1, 1988, from the 2300 block of Hoagland Avenue. Her body was found three days later by a jogger ... in a southern DeKalb County ditch.”
- John D. Miller, April Tinsley's killer, dead at 66
“John D. Miller, convicted of sexually abusing and killing 8-year-old April Tinsley more than 30 years ago, has died. He was 66. ... He was sentenced to 80 years in December 2018.”
- Tinsley Killer Gets 80 Year Prison Sentence
“Miller was sentenced to 80 years after Judge Surbeck accepted John Miller's plea deal calling for him to serve 50 years for the murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley and 30 years for child molestation.”
- Indiana man who taunted authorities pleads guilty to the 1988 murder of April Tinsley
“John D. Miller, 59, pleaded guilty Friday to murder and child molestation charges in the 1988 abduction and killing of 8-year-old April Tinsley.”
- COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH: John D. Miller sentenced to 80 years in April Tinsley case
“The arrest comes as the genetic genealogy unit at Parabon NanoLabs combined DNA evidence samples from the case with a public genealogy database. The work narrowed the suspect down to two brothers.”