Mansfield, Ohio, police announced they have solved the 1981 murder of 18-year-old Debra Lee Miller, a local waitress, using DNA evidence. The case remained unsolved for over four decades until recent advances in forensic technology provided a breakthrough.
Miller was brutally killed in her apartment on April 29, 1981, beaten to death with an oven grate. Initial investigations were marred by allegations of police misconduct, including claims of improper relationships between Miller and some officers. Despite being reopened multiple times over the years, the case had remained cold.
In 2021, the case was revisited with new forensic techniques. Investigators were able to establish a DNA profile linking James Vanest, who had been Miller’s upstairs neighbor at the time, to the crime scene. Vanest, then 26 years old, had been questioned during the original investigation but was never considered a suspect.
Richland County Prosecutor Jodie Schumacher said the DNA evidence was strong enough to pursue charges against Vanest, and authorities prepared to present the case to a grand jury.
However, before the case could move forward, Vanest was killed in a shootout with U.S. Marshals and a SWAT team on November 18, 2023. Authorities had tracked him to a motel in North Canton, Ohio, where they attempted to serve him with a federal indictment on unrelated gun charges. Vanest barricaded himself inside and exchanged gunfire with officers, injuring one SWAT member before being fatally shot.
Detectives revealed that Vanest had fled Ohio after being re-interviewed in 2021. He admitted to lying during his original 1981 interview but denied involvement in the murder. When DNA evidence connected him to the crime scene, Vanest attempted to create an alibi. He later sold his home, fled to West Virginia, and faced charges for illegally possessing firearms.
Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann declared the case closed, expressing hope that solving the crime brings closure to Miller’s family. Detective Terry Butler, whose great-uncle was one of the first officers on the scene in 1981, said solving the case shows their commitment to justice.
“We don’t give up. We keep digging,” Butler said.
The resolution of this case underscores the power of modern DNA technology in solving long-standing mysteries and delivering justice, even decades later.
