BREAKING: Daniel Wells -- recently arrested for the 1985 Pensacola New Year's murder of Tonya McKinley -- has committed suicide in jail, deputies confirm. PENSACOLA Two weeks after his arrest in a 35-year-old cold case murder, Daniel Leonard Wells was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, dead of an apparent suicide just days before he was scheduled to make a court appearance in the case. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest . A family tree was constructed that eventually led investigators to Wells. The landline phone number 8165849629 is registered to Daniel Leonard Wells in Pensacola, FL at 5206 Cerny Rd. When the emergency respondents arrived at the scene, they located the corpse lying next to the curb, with her pantyhose pulled down around her ankles and dress pulled up. The price to rent a two bedroom unit in the zip code 32526 is around . Renee said Tonya loved Rod Stewart and KISS and was trying to make a better life for herself when she was killed. 3,876 court search results for people named "Daniel Wells" in the United States. McCall said she's pleased about the arrest in her sister's case but saddened that her dad died a decade ago without knowing that his daughter's alleged killer would someday be caught. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. Today, the evil that took Tonya from her friends and family was arrested for her brutal murder.". According to the arrest report, there is a less than 1 in 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on March 18 for the 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, officials said. https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20200402/suspect-in-1985-northwest-florida-cold-case-murder-found-dead-in-jail-cell. He is being held.. The Pensacola Police Department collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs to run a DNA sample recovered from the crime scene through an open-source genealogy database. A family tree was constructed that eventually led investigators to Wells. His first hearing to face charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery had been scheduled for April 8, the Pensacola News Journal reported. According to the show, she and her husband reminded Tonya after midnight that it was time to pick up their children and head home. The officers found the victims high heel shoes and her purse, containing her drivers license, a few blocks from the scene. Their mother, Laverne, lives in Jay with Renee. Pensacola detectives arrested Wells on March 18 and charged him with the slaying of Tonya McKinley, 23, whose body was found before dawn on New Years Day 1985. ". From Haiti Through Liberty City to Top Federal Prosecutor in South Florida: the Unlikely Story of Markenzy Lapointe, Broward Judge to Allow Rapper Kodak Black to Enter Drug Treatment Program, Ex-UM Football Player Accused of Killing Teammate Granted $850K Bond. Phone Numbers. According to court records, Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges, but the witness tampering charge was dropped after he pleaded no contest to the battery charge. May 8, 2022 | In best courses to study in uk for masters | . "I didn't really think this would happen in my lifetime, not after 35 years.". "What is important is that no one forgot Tonya. Daniel is related to Nicholas Lee Wells and Howard Snowden Wells as well as 3 additional people. . Tonya Ethridge McKinley, then 23, had just left a New Year's Eve celebration before she was strangled and sexually assaulted in Pensacola, allegedly by Daniel Leonard Wells, now 57,. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found dead in his cell at Escambia County Sheriff's Office in an apparent suicide Thursday morning. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". It is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history and the first time the familial DNA method has been used to solve a case in Northwest Florida. He got to have a family. More than anything, Renee said, Tonya loved her then-18-month-old son, Timothy Davidson Jr., who family members affectionately referred to as Timbo when he was a child. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, officials said. You may have heard that name before. The arrest on Wednesday is the oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. Using that, they and Parabon made use of an open-source genealogy database, used it to locate distant relatives of the suspect, and finally found the defendant, officers said in the Pensacola News Journal report. Phone & Email (4) All Addresses (7) Family (3) McKinley, 23, was last seen alive early New Years Day in 1985 at a restaurant. However, the cause of death was determined to be strangulation, and she was also. She had been fatally strangled, and sexually assaulted, police said. Current Address: EWZU Cerny Rd, Pensacola, FL. Explore the listing below to find Daniel's address, relatives, and other public records. The witness tampering charge was dropped after he pleaded no contest to the battery charge. Around three and a half decades later, Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonya's homicide. Name. Contact info for Daniel Wells in Pensacola, Florida: Phone number, address lookup, email address, and social networking profiles on Spokeo, your people search engine for contact info & public records. 8 maja 2022. daniel leonard wells pensacola Now, it seems like we just have a lot more unanswered questions.. It wasn't immediately clear whether Wells had hired or been assigned an attorney, Wood said Thursday. Cops said they confirmed he was their suspect by getting his DNA from a discarded cigarette. We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida. His age is 60. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. Emailus. The investigation hit numerous dead ends over the years, lasting so long that retiring detectives had to pass it on to their successors. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. We located 9 sex offenders matching the name "Daniel Wells" in the US. UNLOCK PROFILE. On Wednesday, 35 years later, Pensacola police made an arrest in the case: Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery. He wasn't going to ever just say what he did on his own., "Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her. She said she did not have any more information to share. "I know it took a long time, but it was one of those cases we never gave up on.". Additional court records revealed Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges. Wells, 57, was arrested by the Pensacola Police Department on March 18 for the 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley. Tonya and Renee's father, Joe, died in April 2000. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. We did this time and time again. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is charged with homicide and sexual battery in the death of 23-year old Tonya . 9 people named Daniel Wells found in this area: includes Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton. PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A 57-year-old man has been arrested for the 1985 cold case murder of 23-year-oldTonya Ethridge McKinley in Pensacola. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. On January 1, 1985, a mother and her daughter were driving their sick dog to the vet when they made a horrifying discovery in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. Detectives in California used the same method to identify and arrest Joseph James DeAngelo, a suspect in the Golden State Killer cases, in April 2018. Tonya Ethridge McKinley, then 23, had just left a New Year's Eve celebration before she was strangled and sexually assaulted in Pensacola, allegedly by Daniel Leonard Wells, now 57, according to police. Two weeks after his arrest in a 35-year-old cold case murder, Daniel Leonard Wells was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, dead of an apparent suicide. She was last seen alive around 1:30 a.m. at Darryls Bar & Grille in Pensacola, and in the early-morning hours of New Years Day her body was found in an empty lot at the corner of Peacock Drive and Creighton Road, just one block off Scenic Highway. This home is the most recent known address for Daniel. He was set for a court appearance in the case on April 8 at 8:30 a.m. "(Wells) is a coward he didn't even wait until the trial even started," said McKinley's son, Tim Davidson Jr., who was just 18 months old when his mother was murdered. Their children and Tonyas son were at a late-night daycare facility, and it closed at 1:00 am. He wasnt going to ever just say what he did on his own.. He got to have a family. "It's frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice. "(Tonya) would fight hard for me she would fight for me and I've gotta fight for her," Renee told WKRG in a 2008 interview. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery in the 1985 murder of 23-year-old Tonya Ethridge McKinley. He was carrying it around with him and he was never going to tell anyone what he did. In 1988, he was arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution in Pensacola. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. Watch: PPD makes oldest cold-case arrest in Pensacola history. She recounted how they danced, met with friends, and partied till the late night hours of New Years Eve. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. Investigators nationwide say the genetics company have aided in solving cold cases. According to the arrest report, there is a less than onein 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. According to the arrest report, there is a less than 1 in 700 billion chance that the DNA from the crime scene is a match to anyone other than Wells. They found a dead body and immediately notified the authorities. ", New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Scan this QR code to download the app now. But for most of the time, they had no suspect in the killing of McKinley, who was survived by an 18-month-old son. Tonya's older sister, Renee Ethridge, has run the "Tonya Ethridge McKinley Memorial" page on Facebook since 2012 in hopes of keeping her sister's case in the public eye. "(Wells) got to live his life the last 35 years. But DNA in a public database eventually linked McKinley's killer to Wells' family and then to him, police said. On Wednesday, 35 years later, Pensacola police made an arrest in the case: Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery. PENSACOLA Two weeks after his arrest in a 35-year-old cold case murder, Daniel Leonard Wells was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, dead of an apparent suicide just days before he was scheduled to make a court appearance in the case. He is being held in Escambia County jail. Also, the way he had disposed of the body and other evidence, such as her purse and shoes, indicated the perpetrator was in a hurry. Wells is being held without bond at Escambia County Jail and will make his first court appearance Thursday morning. Vanita reminisced how the 23-year-old dotted over her child, taking the toddler everywhere she went and trying to provide for all his needs. Say what he did I know it took a long time, had! 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