It’s been thirty-four years since an innocent woman was mowed down by a convict driving a vehicle while rushing to check into a pre-release prison. All that time it was unknown who was responsible for the hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of 52-year-old Ruth Buchanan in Charlotte, North Carolina. Despite having the car’s license plate number and description, the vehicle was discovered stolen, and the investigation ground to a halt.
But thanks to advancements in DNA technology, a suspect named Herbert Stanback, 68, has been identified and charged in the case on August 23, 2024. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department announced this breakthrough last Friday, revealing how the use of new DNA technology allowed them to reexamine the evidence and make progress in the case from 1989.
“The fact that the scientific means of being able to obtain DNA, linking it – not to a specific gene pool – but a specific individual over three decades later is amazing,” Sgt. Gavin Jackson with CMPD’s Major Crash Unit said in an announcement video.
Watch Police Press Release Video: DNA on Marijuana Cigarette
According to recent data, the percentage of cold cases that are cleared after a year of investigation is estimated to be in the range of 20 percent. Although the precise number of cold case murders that are solved each year fluctuates, recent statistics indicate that several hundred killings are likely to be solved annually in the U.S.
Crime
A few days before New Year’s Eve in 1989, around mid-afternoon, Buchanan and her friend had just left a department store in Charlotte’s business district when Buchanan was struck by a car on the street, according to a CMPD press release.
The police added that the driver had run a red light and immediately fled the scene. Buchanan was taken to the hospital where she died the next day from her injuries.
Witnesses provided the police with a detailed account of the car involved in the collision, including its license plate number. A few days later, officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle outside a Comfort Inn, which matched the description of the car used in the fatality.
Police later discovered the vehicle had been stolen from a local car dealership. Despite investigators’ best efforts, the case remained unsolved for the next 32 years. In 2022, law enforcement received an anonymous tip from someone claiming to know the perpetrator of the crime. Although this tip proved false, it prompted officers to reexamine the case.
Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director told Newsweek the murder clearance rate has gone down while the technology for solving murder cases has greatly improved.
“Homicides have had a high success rate in terms of investigative results. It’s interesting to see the decline in solutions at a time when we have very, very sophisticated forensic techniques to use,” Swecker added.
“We have DNA databases and forensic genealogy utilizing private DNA electronic evidence of every description from cellphone tracking, security video, internet searches, and social media sites. We are in the golden age of forensics which should result in an increased solution rate,” Swecker said.
Cold Case Murder of Ruth Buchanan Solved
Detectives Kept Plugging Away
The diligent Detectives in Ruth Buchanan’s case meticulously gathered evidence from the car and sent it to the state-of-the-art police crime lab. There, they meticulously matched DNA from a marijuana cigarette to a man who, at the time, was serving a 22-year sentence for a separate crime. Investigating further, they also learned that the driver, Stanback, was diligently participating in a work-release program for inmates at the state prison while working at a local hotel at the time of the hit-and-run.
In a private meeting in March, detectives confronted Stanback in prison where he confessed to the crime. Months later, in June, he was officially charged. Subsequently, police Sergeant Jackson immediately contacted Buchanan’s son to inform him about the arrest.
“I was able to speak to Ruth’s son and be able to bring that kind of closure to the family. It’s certainly not a phone call that they would have been expecting,” Jackson said.
Herbert Stanback Linked Through DNA
How Technology Advances Solve Decades-ago Murders
Advances in technology, particularly forensic science and data analysis have contributed to solving hundreds of previously unsolved murders from many years ago.
Technology Examples
DNA Profiling: One of the most important technology developments is DNA profiling, a forensic tool. Through contemporary techniques such as genetic genealogy, detectives can link DNA recovered from crime scenes to distant relatives and create family trees. Through this method, investigators can pinpoint suspects linked to historical criminal incidents.
Forensic Databases: The creation and expansion of databases such as CODIS( Combined DNA Index System) paved the way for scientists to easily match DNA from crime scenes with known offenders or unsolved cases. Fingerprint databases and facial recognition systems can help as well.
Advanced Fingerprint Analysis: Technology has improved for lifting and analyzing fingerprints, including superglue fuming and digital enhancement, thus allowing better identification from even partial or degraded prints.
Unsolved murders highlight how challenging it is to solve homicides. On the brighter side, even in the most perplexing and unresolved cases, there is always someone on the surface of our lives holding the key to unraveling the truth behind a person’s murder. Cold cases emphasize the lingering presence of hidden knowledge or secrets waiting to be uncovered, and the ultimate hope for the victim’s loved ones that someday the real killer(s) be brought to justice.
NewsBlaze Senior Crime Reporter and (Houston-Texas) based freelance True Crime Journalist and historical researcher Clarence Walker can be reached at [email protected]
