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Police in Broward County, Florida, have solved the 20-year-old murders of three women using DNA analysis, which uncovered that the person responsible was a Brazilian man who died in a South American plane crash in 2005, the Associated Press reported.
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said Tuesday that DNA uncovered the killer as Roberto Fernandes. The Brazilian citizen fled to his country of origin in 2001 following the discovery of his third victim's body in Miami.
Fernandes was suspected by police at the time, but their efforts were hampered because of Brazil's lack of an extradition treaty with the U.S.
At a press conference, Tony said despite the time that might pass for a cold murder case, "justice never expires." He added that Fernandes is suspected as a serial killer and might have additional victims.
"Cold cases typically sit for months, maybe even years, before they are resolved," Tony said.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
The first victim discovered on June 22, 2000, in Cooper City, Florida, was Kimberly Dietz-Livesey, whose badly beaten body was crammed into a suitcase along a road. On August 9, 2000, the body of Sia Demas, also beaten to death, was found stuffed in a duffel bag along another road near Dania Beach, Florida.
A year later, on August 30, 2001, the body of Jessica Good was recovered floating in Biscayne Bay in Miami. She had been fatally stabbed.
All three women had substance abuse problems and turned to prostitution to support their habits, investigators said.
One fingerprint and some DNA samples were discovered at the 2001 crime scene but no match was initially found in criminal databases. It wasn't until authorities ran the evidence through Brazilian authorities that a match came up for Fernandes, officials said.
"That was a key piece of evidence," Broward sheriff's Detective Zach Scott said at a news conference.
In Brazil, Fernandes had been acquitted of killing his wife on a self-defense claim. Scott said the wife's family was bitter about the case and might have sought to have Fernandes killed in retaliation, leading to his decision to flee to Paraguay.
In 2005, Fernandes died in a plane crash and his body was returned to Brazil for burial. A judge there was persuaded recently to order the body exhumed, and Florida investigators were able to obtain a DNA sample after concluding he had not faked his death.
"It did take some time to confirm his death," Miami police Sgt. Nikoli Trifonov said. "People do fake their deaths."
There might be additional victims. In the U.S., Fernandes worked for a Miami tour company and also as a flight attendant at times, officials said.
"I believe there are other cases out there. There is no limit as to where he could travel," Scott said.
