CA CA- Edmund LaFave, 34, fatally beaten & stabbed,@ home, San Diego, 25 Feb.,1975, DNA- Johnnie Salisbury, 71, of Indiana, 2026, *Arrest*.

[dotr]

After Five Decades, Edmund LaFave's Killer is Now Identified

San Diego District Attorney's Office and San Diego Police Department Team with Othram to Identify a 1975 Homicide Suspect

dnasolves.com

''On February 25, 1975, Edmund LaFave, 34, was found murdered inside his home in the 2900 block of Suncrest Drive in San Diego, California. He had been severely beaten and repeatedly stabbed and was discovered in his bedroom. The San Diego Police Department responded and opened a homicide investigation. Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, no suspect was identified, and the case eventually went cold.

For decades, the case remained unsolved while preserved forensic evidence was retained for potential future analysis. In 2023, as part of a renewed cold case review, the San Diego District Attorney’s Office submitted this evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas, to determine whether modern forensic DNA technology, unavailable at the time of the original investigation, could assist in identifying the person responsible for LaFave’s death.

Using advanced forensic DNA testing techniques, Othram scientists developed a comprehensive DNA profile from the decades-old forensic evidence using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®. The resulting profile enabled a forensic genetic genealogical search, which generated new investigative leads. These leads were returned to law enforcement for independent follow-up and further investigative effort.

Nearly half a century after the murder, this renewed investigation led authorities to identify a suspect. Seventy-one-year-old Johnnie Salisbury of Syracuse, Indiana, was arrested on the charge of murder. The arrest was carried out with the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies, and Salisbury is currently being held pending extradition to California, where the case will now proceed through the judicial system.''

 

[dotr]

Kosciusko County man arrested for 1975 cold case murder in California

The cold case was reportedly solved through genetic genealogy after nearly 50 years.

www.wndu.com

"It’s unclear at this time if there was a motive for the killing.
Police said Salisbury was taken into custody after investigators from the San Diego Police Department flew to Indiana and an arrest warrant was served on Wednesday.
Salisbury is being held in the Kosciusko County Jail as he awaits extradition back to California.''

Arrest, Johnnie Salisbury of Syracuse, Indiana.