Arrest Made After 24 Years in Sanford Cold Case Murder, Modern DNA Evidence Links Suspect to 1999 Crime – Hoodline

After 24 years, a significant breakthrough has occurred in the cold case of Sherry Holtz, who was found murdered in Sanford in December 1999. The Sanford Police Department has confirmed the arrest of Gary Durrance, 73, on Thursday, formerly Holtz's boyfriend, in connection with her death, modern DNA evidence gleaned from a knife found near the victim's body connects Durrance to the crime, according to ClickOrlando.

Police recounted how Holtz's body was discovered with evidence of a cut-throat, blunt force trauma, strangulation, and sexual battery, her body was found lying on a concrete slab in a wooded area behind a South Orlando Drive business, and while a sexual assault kit initially did not yield DNA evidence, a lock-blade knife recovered at the scene did contain human blood though it could not be tested at the time due to the small sample size, so the knife was preserved for over two decades, updated testing has now positively identified Durrance's DNA on the knife handle and Holtz's blood on the blade, "This was, theres no other way to describe it but a brutal homicide, OK? She was found laying on her back on a concrete slab approximately 20 feet into the wood line. Her clothing was pulled off, exposing most of her body," Sanford police strategic communications manager Bianca Gillett stated, as detailed by ClickOrlando.

Durrance and Holtz had a turbulent relationship, marked by repeatedly documented domestic violence incidents. According to interviews, the night before Holtz was last seen, an argument led to her expulsion from their shared residence, she was subsequently seen at a local bar and never returned.

Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith addressed the gravity of the murder and the relief brought by the arrest saying, "24 years ago, Sherry Holtz was brutally murdered and left behind in the woods as if her life had no value. This was someone's mother, someone's daughter. Durrance will now face justice for the horrible and despicable things that he did." With Durrance now facing a second-degree homicide charge, he remains in the Seminole County Jail as reported by WESH.

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Arrest Made After 24 Years in Sanford Cold Case Murder, Modern DNA Evidence Links Suspect to 1999 Crime - Hoodline