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The Columbus Dispatch Monday October 7, 1991
Lead Investigator Say Cops Bungled Girls Slaying Probe
In a Columbus Dispatch newspaper article published on Monday October 7, 1991, a former lead investigator in the Asenath Louise Dukat murder case charged that bungling and mismanagement began the moment the girls body was found.
Upper Arlington police have asked the FBI to review the case, which had become muddled with allegations that investigators didnt follow proper procedures during the murder investigation.
The former lead investigator in the case alleged that:
* The crime scene was trampled by dozens of officers and even city politicians who wanted a look, causing investigators to waste months of valuable time sifting through shoe print impressions.
* It took investigators three years to categorize leads and organize their files.
* Potential evidence was not preserved, and nobody checked for fingerprints on Asenaths body.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that the murder investigation took an ironic turn last month when the former lead investigator retired from the Upper Arlington police force after being charged with four counts of public indecency for exposing himself or defecating in front of children at a park near his home in Grove City in May 1991.
The former lead investigator said that he was off on the day the murder and learned about it while watching the local 11:00 p.m. news on television. He was asked to join the investigation the next day.
Columbus police did the initial crime scene analysis because Upper Arlington police did not have a forensic unit back then. The former lead investigator said that he was frustrated at first because too little of the crime scene was cordoned off from the public. He maintains that the entire field should have been sealed, not just the culvert area.
He also maintained that key evidence may have been lost after Asenaths schoolbooks and papers were found the next day under a bush about 300 feet east of where her body was found.
The former lead investigator also revealed his personal theory about the murder that he never discussed publicly: Asenath was removed from the scene for two hours, and then brought back to the scene.
The former lead investigator said that Asenaths body was found clothed, but she obviously had been undressed, molested, then hastily re-clothed, indicating that her attacker intended to release her.
He speculated that Asenath was abducted from the area and molested at another location, brought back to the area where she was abducted to drop her off, then her abductor panicked and chased her down, and then killed Asenath Louise Dukat on the retirement community grounds. He also believed that Asenaths killer lived in Upper Arlington or had intimate knowledge of the suburb.
The former lead investigator was also critical of another officer who did not attend the autopsy and took pictures of the body for potential court evidence because he was squeamish. He maintained that the detective only went to the coroners office but didnt see the autopsy.
The former lead investigator said that the lack of evidence in the case had bothered him, and wondered if the killer could be someone connected to law enforcement, or have a working knowledge of crime scene analysis, such as a doctor, firefighter, or medic. He admitted that he secretly investigated two Upper Arlington police officers as potential suspects in the Dukat murder case.
The former lead investigator also admitted that the new evidence they found last year from an old suspect was not the breakthrough they were hoping for in the murder case. He explained that the new evidence that was sent to the FBI DNA testing lab in 1990 did not have enough genetic material left in the evidence to allow the DNA tests to be completed.
The former lead investigator said that he is not pretending to have done a flawless investigation, but acknowledged that his criticisms about the Asenath Louise Dukat murder investigation might be perceived as revenge.
Lead Investigator Say Cops Bungled Girls Slaying Probe
In a Columbus Dispatch newspaper article published on Monday October 7, 1991, a former lead investigator in the Asenath Louise Dukat murder case charged that bungling and mismanagement began the moment the girls body was found.
Upper Arlington police have asked the FBI to review the case, which had become muddled with allegations that investigators didnt follow proper procedures during the murder investigation.
The former lead investigator in the case alleged that:
* The crime scene was trampled by dozens of officers and even city politicians who wanted a look, causing investigators to waste months of valuable time sifting through shoe print impressions.
* It took investigators three years to categorize leads and organize their files.
* Potential evidence was not preserved, and nobody checked for fingerprints on Asenaths body.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that the murder investigation took an ironic turn last month when the former lead investigator retired from the Upper Arlington police force after being charged with four counts of public indecency for exposing himself or defecating in front of children at a park near his home in Grove City in May 1991.
The former lead investigator said that he was off on the day the murder and learned about it while watching the local 11:00 p.m. news on television. He was asked to join the investigation the next day.
Columbus police did the initial crime scene analysis because Upper Arlington police did not have a forensic unit back then. The former lead investigator said that he was frustrated at first because too little of the crime scene was cordoned off from the public. He maintains that the entire field should have been sealed, not just the culvert area.
He also maintained that key evidence may have been lost after Asenaths schoolbooks and papers were found the next day under a bush about 300 feet east of where her body was found.
The former lead investigator also revealed his personal theory about the murder that he never discussed publicly: Asenath was removed from the scene for two hours, and then brought back to the scene.
The former lead investigator said that Asenaths body was found clothed, but she obviously had been undressed, molested, then hastily re-clothed, indicating that her attacker intended to release her.
He speculated that Asenath was abducted from the area and molested at another location, brought back to the area where she was abducted to drop her off, then her abductor panicked and chased her down, and then killed Asenath Louise Dukat on the retirement community grounds. He also believed that Asenaths killer lived in Upper Arlington or had intimate knowledge of the suburb.
The former lead investigator was also critical of another officer who did not attend the autopsy and took pictures of the body for potential court evidence because he was squeamish. He maintained that the detective only went to the coroners office but didnt see the autopsy.
The former lead investigator said that the lack of evidence in the case had bothered him, and wondered if the killer could be someone connected to law enforcement, or have a working knowledge of crime scene analysis, such as a doctor, firefighter, or medic. He admitted that he secretly investigated two Upper Arlington police officers as potential suspects in the Dukat murder case.
The former lead investigator also admitted that the new evidence they found last year from an old suspect was not the breakthrough they were hoping for in the murder case. He explained that the new evidence that was sent to the FBI DNA testing lab in 1990 did not have enough genetic material left in the evidence to allow the DNA tests to be completed.
The former lead investigator said that he is not pretending to have done a flawless investigation, but acknowledged that his criticisms about the Asenath Louise Dukat murder investigation might be perceived as revenge.