Police in Stafford and Fairfax counties say they arrested a suspect in the slayings of 18-year-old Amy Baker and 4032-year-old Jaqueline Lord in 1989 and 1986, respectively.
Stafford County Sheriff’s Major Shawn Kimmitz credits the excellent work of detectives from both agencies, who used DNA evidence to identify a suspect.
On November 14, 1986, Lord, was working at Mount Vernon Realty in the 300 block of Garrisonville Road. She was last seen that evening at 9 p.m. as the business closed. Lord never made it home.
The next morning, employees of other businesses in the area prepared to open for the day and discovered a crime scene at the realty office, which indicated a struggle. Lord and her vehicle were both missing. Stafford County detectives, assisted by the Virginia State Police Crime Scene Unit and the FBI processed the scene and collected blood and other evidence.
The following day, two teenagers played in a wooded area off Route 1 at Railroad Avenue in Woodbridge, about 20 miles north of the realty office. They discovered a body beneath a pile of discarded carpet. Stafford detectives joined Prince William detectives and the FBI to process the scene and identified the deceased as Lord.
Lord’s missing vehicle was located abandoned in Fairfax County on December 18, 1986, leading to the recovery of additional evidence. Over the years, detectives from multiple federal and state agencies followed up on countless leads and conducted interviews, eliminating numerous suspects and persons of interest.
The FBI created a task force combining the efforts of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Prince William County Police Department, the FBI, and the DEA. DNA was extracted from the evidence, but repeated searches of the Virginia and National DNA Databanks via CODIS, in addition to direct comparisons against submitted persons of interest and familial searches, failed to identify the killer. The leads were exhausted, and the investigation was moved to cold case status.
At the order of Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur, D.K. Wood explored a new technology, forensic investigative genetic genealogy, to help identify the killer.
Wood worked with Parabon NanoLabs, a company providing DNA phenotyping. The analysis of the DNA linked the Lord’s murder to the unsolved 1989 murder of Amy Baker in Fairfax County. A Stafford resident, Baker, ran out of gas while traveling on Interstate 95 and pulled off the highway at Backlick Road in Fairfax County.
Baker met her killer while walking toward a gas station. She was raped, assaulted, and left for dead in the woods.
On December 14, 2023, identified their suspect. Detectives followed up on the leads this technology created and ultimately obtained a search warrant for DNA from Stafford County residents. In February, the Department of Forensic Science reported that the DNA matched.
On March 4, Elroy Harrison, 65, was indicted by a Stafford County Grand Jury for first-degree murder, abduction with the intent to defile, aggravated malicious wounding of Lord, as well as breaking with the intent to commit murder.
He was arrested at his Stafford County home on March 5 and placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Cold Case detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department are working alongside the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth Attorney to seek charges against Harrison for the murder of Baker’s murder.
More as we have it.
Recent Stories
Police said they found her holding a piece of concrete. Later, they found multiple cars damaged. More from Prince William police: Assault & Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer [LEO]…
Happy Independence Day. Several local events will offer spectacular fireworks displays. Here are some of the best places to enjoy the festivities:
A nearby frontal boundary will bring chances of daily showers and thunderstorms through the weekend.
Two hundred forty-eight years ago, a group of 39 people convened, debated, made compromises, set aside differences, and signed a Consitution that created a representative government unlike any the world had ever seen.
On June 22, 2024, the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Ball, hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter, seated in Prince William County, VA, awarded $73,000 in scholarships to 17 students through the chapter’s foundation, the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund. These scholarships will support their college journeys at prestigious universities such as Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, Purdue University, Howard University, Shenandoah University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Cornell University, Spelman College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Norfolk State University. The event highlighted the commitment of the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund to fostering academic excellence and supporting the educational aspirations of young scholars in our community.
FREE Leadership Sessions will be conducted at the George Mason University –Arlington Campus for High School Latinas. The program runs from Monday 7/15 through Friday 7/19 from 10:00AM to 3:00PM EST each day (1-week).
Las sesiones de liderazgo GRATUITAS se llevarán a cabo en el campus de George Mason University – Arlington para latinas de secundaria. El programa se desarrollará desde el lunes 15 de julio hasta el viernes 19 de julio, de 10:00 a.m. a 3:00 p.m. EST cada dĂa (1 semana).
Our goal is to equip students with the fundamentals of self-promotion and guide them in shaping their personal brand for future success. What sets this program apart is its integration of self-awareness activities and mentorship by seasoned professionals.
Sessions begin with a thorough assessment of leadership dynamics on July 15th, participants delve into the intricacies of personal branding and etiquette on July 16th, followed by practical guidance on crafting compelling LinkedIn profiles and resumes on July 17th. July 18th emphasizes the art of storytelling through personal statements, while July 19th culminates in portfolio presentations, allowing participants to showcase their newfound skills. The program concludes on July 20th with a memorable graduation ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of the ELITE Academy’s graduates and their journey towards leadership excellence.
