Jennifer Edwards Baker

jbaker@enquirer.com

Hamilton police announced Friday they solved a 20-year-old homicide - and the suspect has been dead for years.

DNA evidence linked Wendell Proffitt, 50, to the Oct. 18, 1994 murder of Emerson Skinner, 76, at Skinner's Ludlow Street home.

Proffitt died of a drug overdose in 2002, said Hamilton Police Chief Scott Scrimizzi.

Investigators who worked on the case met this week with Skinner's family and told them the case was finally solved.

"Hopefully this will bring some closure to their lives," the chief wrote in a prepared statement that credited the detectives, James Smith and Steve Rogers. "They, along with previous investigators, many who are now retired, should be commended for a job well done."

Skinner was found lying in a pool of blood inside his home when police went to check on the man after a neighbor reported he hadn't been seen in a couple of days.

Skinner had suffered several stab wounds, and his throat had been slashed.

"It was obvious to investigators that Mr. Skinner had put up a fight as he had several defense wounds along with several long human hairs clenched in his hand that belonged to his assailant," the chief wrote.

Police investigated for years and interviewed 28 people as possible suspects, but none could be positively linked to the homicide.

Over the years, as is routine in cold case homicides, several other detectives examined the case file, adding additional pieces to the puzzle.

During the past year, detectives again began reviewing the case.

With technological advances in DNA testing, detectives contacted the Ohio Bureau of Investigation (BCI) and requested their assistance in reviewing the physical evidence, specifically the hairs recovered at the scene.

Due to the advancements in technology and the teamwork between Hamilton Detectives and BCI DNA analyst Steve Wiechman, a DNA profile of the suspect was established.

The profile was checked through CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), but it resulted in no matching profiles.

Throughout the investigation, 28 hair samples were collected from possible suspects. The decision was made to systematically send them to BCI for comparison.

Finally, on Tuesday, Hamilton police were notified the suspect had been positively identified from one of those samples.

Proffitt had been one of the suspects early in the investigation, but detectives were unable to conclusively connect him to the crime.

Investigators discovered that Mr. Proffitt died from a drug overdose in 2002. He had an extensive record in Hamilton, including felonious assault in an October 1996 stabbing.