improvements in DNA technology and Unsolved Murder of JonBenet Ramsey

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office is holding a press conference Wednesday afternoon to update the public on the status of a suspect taken into custody in the 1996 murder of 22-year-old Fresno State student Debbie Dorian.

Dorian’s body was found by her father. Investigators determined she had been bound, gagged and raped.

DNA samples were recovered at the crime scene and police were able to match those samples to evidence in 8 sexual assaults and kidnappings in Visalia from 1999 to 2002. At that time, DNA technology was in its infancy and the DNA could never be directly linked to a suspect.

Nickey Duane Stane, 52, of Visalia, was arrested by authorities Wednesday after being connected with four sexual assaults in the Visalia area that occurred from 1999 to 2002, though police there said he could be connected to three others.

Authorities said they were able to crack the case through recent improvements in DNA matching technology, and compared their investigation with the Golden State Killer case.

At the time of Stane’s arrest, Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar said: “A DNA sample was obtained by the suspect and the DOJ lab was able to confirm a match of that sample to the DNA profile obtained in this investigation back in 1999.”

It's a life taken too soon.

"You miss seeing her wedding, the holidays, and you miss what would she look like," says Sara Loven, Debbie Dorian's mother. "She was a feisty wonderful person."

As the Fresno County District Attorney announced murder charges in the brutal killing of Dorian, who was a Fresno State student. Loven expressed her gratitude to the detectives who spent more than two decades trying to solve Dorian's murder.

"It's easy to give up, especially after time goes by," Loven said. "We know going through the trial is not going to be easy, but thank goodness."

"What you see behind me today is the culmination of 23 years of law enforcement collaboration and cooperation," says Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp.

Investigators say in 1996, Dorian was found bound, gagged, raped and murdered in her apartment complex.

A DNA sample was collected at the scene, then uploaded to a database that matched South Valley sexual assault crimes spanning from the 1990's to 2000's.

In October of 2019, Visalia Police arrested Nickey Stane on a "John Doe" arrest warrant from 2009.

Smittcamp announced New DNA technology, the same used in the Golden State killer case, linked Stane to the profile.

"As a mother, I cannot fathom the pain this family has endured," Smittcamp said.

Smittcamp filed murder charges Wednesday in the brutal killing of Dorian. bringing hope to families of cold case victims everywhere.

Boulder DA: New round of Ramsey DNA tests completed,
more could follow
A renewed wave of DNA testing in the JonBenet Ramsey case has been completed and although investigators are not talking about what was ...
Jun 29, 2018