Killer Finally Found After 50 Years, But There’s a Twist!

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An Indiana woman’s 50-year-old murder case is finally getting answers. 

After half a century, it was finally revealed that the person responsible for my dear Phyllis Bailer’s tragic death, discovered alongside a road with her three-year-old daughter miraculously unharmed, has been identified by the authorities.

Through the process of forensic genetic genealogy, authorities were able to identify Fred Allen Lienemann as the perpetrator who attacked a 26-year-old mother. This information was released by the Indiana State Police in their April 16 press announcement.

According to the police report, traces of Lienemann’s DNA were discovered on Bailer’s clothes. At the time of the 1972 murder, Bailer would have been 25 years old. The incident took place while the victim was traveling with her three-year-old daughter in a car belonging to her parents, from Indianapolis to Bluffton, IN, as stated in the release.

According to officials, there was no established link between Lienemann and Phyllis Bailer. However, it’s important to note that he did have a substantial criminal record.

Although authorities believe DNA evidence points to the right perpetrator, Indiana State Police mentioned that they cannot secure a conviction against Lienemann, who allegedly sexually assaulted Bailer before shooting her dead and abandoning her on the roadside. This information was gathered from an autopsy report obtained by the department.

In my role as a lifestyle expert, I’d like to share some intriguing insights from a recent investigation. Back in 1985, Fred Lienemann tragically lost his life in Detroit. If Fred were still with us today, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office would have brought charges against him for the murder of Phyllis Bailer.

The reason it took 50 years to resolve the Bailer case is because DNA testing, a crucial tool for forensics, wasn’t developed until 1986, and it wasn’t commonly utilized by police forces until around the mid-1990s.

Furthermore, an innovative forensic technology created by Identifinders in 2024 enabled the police to extract a more robust DNA sample from Bailer’s garments, compared to the incomplete profile they had initially gathered during the investigation.

In a recent statement, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Founder of Identifinders, expressed pride in their role in assisting the Indiana State Police in providing long-awaited resolutions for Phyllis and her family. This case underscores yet another instance where Forensic Genetic Genealogy proved crucial in solving a cold homicide case that might have otherwise gone unsolved.

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2025-04-19 05:17