DeLAND, Fla. – Detectives with the DeLand Police Department have reopened a 1981 cold case with the help of new DNA technology, according to a news release.
Mellie Coger was 68 years old when she was brutally beaten and murdered 44 years ago this week on Feb. 10, 1981, the release states.
After being found dead in her East Michigan Avenue home, the evidence gathered there and beyond included physical articles collected in a 1981 search warrant and witness interviews, all of which is back on the table, according to the release.
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Investigators have kept in contact with Coger’s family as they track down witnesses to interview them again, police said. After reviewing case and supplemental reports, detectives say they’ve also re-submitted physical evidence for new scrutiny under DNA technology not available in the ‘80s.
“Our family has never given up hope that justice will be served for our grandmother,” Tamra Crane, Coger’s granddaughter, said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to Corporal (Roger) Spires and the DeLand Police Department for their dedication in reopening her case. We remain hopeful that the new evidence will bring the answers we’ve been waiting for over the past 44 years.”
Anyone with information on Coger’s murder is asked to contact Cpl. Spires at spiresr@deland.org or 386-626-7422.
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