Minnesota man convicted in woman's 1986 rape and murder in a case revived by genealogy database analysts
A jury on Tuesday convicted a man charged with raping and killing a woman 36 years ago on Minnesota's Iron Range in a case that was revived by genealogy database analysts.
Michael Allan Carbo Jr., 54, of Chisholm, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder while committing criminal sexual conduct in the 1986 slaying of 38-year-old Nancy Daugherty, also of Chisholm. Her death "prompted one of the most exhaustive investigations in St. Louis County," county attorney Kimberly Maki said in announcing the verdict.
Daugherty was found dead in her home on July 16, 1986, by police conducting a welfare check.
Officials say she had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled, CBS Minnesota reported. Witnesses later reported hearing a woman screaming in the early morning hours.
Investigators over the years interviewed and collected DNA from more than 100 people but were unable to find a solid lead.
Police said Carbo was previously never on their radar, CBS Minnesota reported. He hadn't committed any high-level crimes that warranted his DNA being put in the state database.
The break came in 2020 after Chisholm police approached the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension about providing a sample of the DNA evidence to a company that analyzes public genealogy databases. The company identified Carbo as a potential suspect.
Investigators obtained a DNA sample from Carbo and it matched, authorities said. Carbo was 18 at the time of the crime, lived less than a mile from the crime scene and attended school with Daugherty's children.
After Carbo was arrested, Daugherty's daughter Gina said in a statement: "There are no words the describe the terrible holes that were left in so many lives, including my own. So many tears and struggles. She has missed so much and I miss her love and guidance."
Carbo faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.