Spokane man, 74, arrested for 1986 murder of Mary Ann Turner using DNA evidence
David Tibbett, 74, has been arrested for the 1986 murder of Mary Ann Turner in Spokane after DNA evidence cracked the cold case.
Spokane cold case solved: DNA links 74-year-old to 1986 murder
Spokane police have arrested a 74-year-old man for the murder of a woman whose body was found in an alley nearly four decades ago, my.spokanecity.org reports.
On 4 November 1986, at approximately 7:38 a.m., officers responded to a report of a person down near S. Ivory Street and E. Pacific Avenue. They arrived to find the body of 32-year-old Mary Ann Turner in an adjacent alley. Investigators determined she had been murdered.
After almost 40 years of investigation, detectives with the Major Crimes Unit and the Special Investigations Unit developed probable cause to charge David Tibbett with Second Degree Murder. The breakthrough came through DNA evidence combined with witness statements gathered early in the original investigation.
On 21 October 2026, detectives served a search warrant on Tibbett's home. He was taken into custody and booked into Spokane County Jail on a charge of Second Degree Murder.
The Spokane Police Department credited the arrest to partnerships with the WSP Crime Lab, DNA genealogy firm Othram, and the Spokane County Prosecutor's Office. The investigation into Turner's death remains ongoing.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)