On Friday, a long-unsolved case involving the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman from Indianapolis reached a conclusion with a 53-year-old man getting a 45-year prison sentence.
Dana Shepherd received his sentence last month after agreeing to a plea deal in which he confessed to the violent stabbing death of art student Carmen Van Hass, according to local news sources. This resolution came about thanks to advanced forensic technology that can analyze DNA and link it to relatives of unidentified suspects.
Back in 1993, Van Hass was just a teenager, brutally attacked by an unknown intruder who entered her apartment.
As reported, her father found her lifeless body surrounded by blood. The police observed indications of a struggle, such as knocked-over furniture and disarray in the apartment.
“After all this time, I hope people understand just how violent my sister’s murder was,” her brother, Jimmy Van Hus, said in 2024. “She was raped and stabbed more than 60 times. My father had to witness that scene: blood everywhere, his daughter lying there. It changed him forever.”
At the time of the murder, Shepherd was 20 years old but had not been considered a suspect. It wasn’t until 2023 that detectives learned he had lived in the same apartment complex as the victim.
In 2013, the DNA from an “unknown suspect” linked to Van Hass’s case was entered into CODIS, a national DNA database, but there were no matches found, based on the affidavit.
According to ABC News:
In 2018, authorities announced they had sent DNA evidence from the crime scene to Parabon NanoLab to apply genetic genealogy techniques to solve the case. This method identifies unknown DNA by matching it with family members’ voluntary DNA samples in a database.
In 2023, they revealed that “strong information from various investigative methods and genetic genealogy analysis” led them to identify Dana Shepherd as the suspect.
Afterward, police secured a warrant for a DNA sample from Shepherd. When shown the evidence, he reportedly appeared quite anxious.
The DNA results connected him to the crime, and he was arrested in Columbia in 2024 while employed at the University of Missouri. He was then extradited to Indiana to face charges for rape and murder.
Reports indicate that Shepherd had a criminal history in Indiana involving charges like assault and public intoxication, along with several other offenses in Missouri after the murder.
Following the sentencing, Van Hass’s family shared their reflections.
“While we preferred a different outcome, we are relieved that after 33 years, the individual responsible for Carmen’s horrific rape and murder will finally face justice,” the family stated.
They added, “For so long, the perpetrator lived without consequence for a crime that took everything from Carmen and our family. No amount of justice can erase that loss. But we are thankful that the truth has come to light and that he will not evade accountability.”
Contributor Lowell Kafiel is a New York Times true crime bestselling author.
