Indiana cold case solved: Suspect identified in woman's 1981 murder

Indiana cold case solved: Suspect identified in woman's 1981 murder A 45-year-old LaPorte County cold case has been solved after DNA genealogy helped investigators identify a suspect in the 1981 murder of Juanita Boyd, who was found dead inside the trunk of her green Pontiac. The Brief A 45-year-old Indiana cold case has been solved after DNA evidence helped identify a suspect in Juanita Boyd's 1981 murder. Boyd was found dead in the trunk of her car in rural La Porte County. Suspect Carl David Phillips died in 2017, but investigators said he would have been charged with murder if he were alive. INDIANA - A 45-year-old La Porte County cold case has been solved after DNA genealogy helped investigators identify a suspect in the 1981 murder of Juanita Boyd, who was found dead in the trunk of her green Pontiac. Indiana cold case solved The backstory: The La Porte County Sheriff's Office held a press conference Tuesday morning on the case. Boyd was reported missing Feb. 22, 1981, after she failed to return to her home in La Porte. Her disappearance was considered unusual, prompting a search by law enforcement. Investigators developed a timeline of her disappearance while searching for Boyd and her recently purchased green Pontiac, according to the sheriff's office. Six days later, on Feb. 28, Boyd's vehicle was found stuck in the mud along an agricultural lane in rural Cool Spring Township. Her body was discovered in the trunk, authorities said. Her death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation. Investigators continued pursuing leads over the decades, but DNA testing was not available until the early 1990s. In July 2026, investigators collected DNA from a potential suspect, which matched DNA recovered from one of Boyd's undergarments. What we know about the suspect Pictured is Carl David Phillips. (La Porte County Sheriff's Office ) Authorities identified the suspect as Carl David Phillips, who was 35 at the time of Boyd's murder. Phillips died Sept. 24, 2017, in La Porte County. Investigators said he would have been charged with Boyd's murder if he were still alive. Authorities said there is no known connection between Phillips and Boyd, but they believe the two had some type of interaction. Investigators also cited circumstantial evidence placing Phillips in the general area around the time of the murder. According to investigators, Phillips was familiar with the area where Boyd's body was discovered and had relatives living nearby. Boyd's boyfriend, Jack Pearson, was initially considered a suspect in 1981. However, investigators ruled him out after reopening the case. Phillips previously served time in the Indiana Department of Correction for armed robberies committed in Tippecanoe County in the mid-1970s. Authorities said he was on parole when Boyd was killed. In 1984, Phillips was convicted of burglary in La Porte County and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was paroled in June 1991. What's next: Boyd's family has asked for privacy since the cold case was resolved. We'll bring more updates to this story as they become available. The Source: Information for this story came from a news release and press conference by the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office. News Crime and Public Safety Indiana