"(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. "My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life," Davidson said after the arrest. The 1985 killing of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, has been solved, say police in Pensacola, Florida. Tonya's body was found shortly before 5 a.m. on New Year's Day by a family living on Peacock Drive who were taking their sick dog to an all-night veterinarian clinic. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. Police credit Parabon NanoLabs with helping them break the case. Daniel Leonard Wells, the defendant charged in her death, was found dead in his cell at the Escambia County Jail in Florida. . No suspects had been publicly named. Daniel Leonard Wells. Wells was being charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery and was scheduled to be in court on April 8 for his first hearing in the case. She recounted how they danced, met with friends, and partied till the late night hours of New Years Eve. He is being held.. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. . ". "There are people out there who know (what happened). Around three and a half decades later, Pensacola police arrested Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, for Tonya's homicide. Weve your back if youre interested in finding out more about the case and the killers identity. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. * Historical, vital, and court records and search results may require an additional purchase. Pensacola Police announced Thursday that Daniel Leonard Wells, of Pensacola, was arrested Wednesday and charged with homicide and sexual battery. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was responsible, cops say, according to The Pensacola News Journal. "(Wells) got to live his life the last 35 years. From there, investigators said they found Wells and confirmed he was the killer after obtaining a discarded cigarette. She was later found in an empty lot half-naked, officers said. Daniel is related to Nicholas Lee Wells and Howard Snowden Wells as well as 3 additional people. The 1985 murder of Tonya Ethridge McKinley, 23, will never go to trial. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. From there, the Pensacola police, FDLE and Parabon constructed a family tree, starting with the distant relatives, that eventually led them to identify Wells as a suspect. McKinley 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. Moreover, the winding roads and complex layout of the neighborhood convinced the cops that the killer hailed from the local community. 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. Top Result for Daniel Wells in Pensacola, FL 1 The best result we found for your search is Daniel Ray Wells age 50s in Fairhope, AL. [emailprotected]. May go by: Dan Leonard Wells Age. Tonya Ethridge McKinley was 23 years old and had an 18-month-old son waiting for her at home when she was killed in the early-morning hours of Jan. 1, 1985, in Pensacola. Additional court records revealed Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 on battery and witness tampering charges. 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. 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. The victim was identified as Tonya, and an autopsy report stated she was assaulted with a blunt instrument, causing blunt-force trauma to her head. Wells was recently identified after a Virginia-based company working with the Pensacola Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ran a DNA sample from the crime scene through an open-source genealogy database and identified several distant cousins of the suspect. Discover work experience, company details, and more. 3,876 court search results for people named "Daniel Wells" in the United States. When asked whether Tonya was disturbed by anyone or garnered unwanted attention from strangers, Vanita said, At least I did not see any such thing. https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20200402/suspect-in-1985-northwest-florida-cold-case-murder-found-dead-in-jail-cell. Daniel moved out of this 3.5 bath home in 2016. DNA left at the scene of the crime helped locate distant relatives of the suspect. This home is the most recent known address for Daniel. Matthew Winkler Murder: Where is Mary Winkler Now. "There are people out there who know (what happened). Tonya's body was found shortly before 5 a.m. on New Year's Day by a family living on Peacock Drive who were taking their sick dog to an all-night veterinarian clinic. Records viewed by Law&Crime show that Wells, 57, pleaded not guilty March 24 and was set for an arraignment Wednesday. Pensacola, FL View Cell Phone Number View Background Report. "This was a case that spanned three generations of detectives," said Captain Chuck Mallett, who led the investigation. Thats all moot now. According to court records, Wells was arrested in Pensacola in 1987 for battery and witness tampering, but the witness tampering charge was dropped after he pled no contest to the battery charge. My mom, she never got to raise me, never got to be a part of my life, McKinleys now-grown son Timothy Davidson Jr. said according to the outlet. She was half-nude, strangled to death and sexually assaulted. "Until today. Daniel Leonard Wells, 57, was found hanged in his cell at the Escambia County Jail early Thursday morning, according to the sheriff's office. But for most of the time, they had no suspect in the killing of McKinley, who was survived by an 18-month-old son. Jeffrey M Gallagher, Michelle L Phillips, and three other persons are also associated with this address. Police surveillance teams then surreptitiously obtained his DNA from a discarded cigarette, which was tested and matched DNA found at the crime scene. The case went nowhere for years, but officers said they used Parabon NanoLabs to help them break the case. 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. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. ", Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. Court records did not indicate the outcome of that case. He got to have a family. He got to have a family. Its frustrating for our family on a lot of levels because we waited so long to get justice, he said. 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. "The reasons why this happened, how evil crossed Tonya's path, may never be answered and in the end may not be important," according to police. View property details and household demographic information related to income, investments, and interests. Investigators collected semen, head hair and pubic from Tonya's body and the crime scene. He got to have a family. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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 can finally rest.". Wells, who was living in Pensacola at the time of his arrest, was identified after Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia-based company working with the Pensacola Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, ran a DNA sample obtained from the scene of the crime through an open-source genealogy database and identified several different people believed to be distant cousins of the suspect. 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. However, forensic science was yet to evolve in 1985, and with the police having no leads or suspects, the case went cold. McKinleys son Tim Davidson Jr. called Wells a coward, adding that the defendant didnt even wait until the trial even started.. It wasn't immediately clear whether Wells had hired or been assigned an attorney, Wood said Thursday. She was later found dead at an empty lot. 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. Their parting exchange was wishing each other New Year greetings, and Tonya stated she would see her the following morning. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal. "Nothing could ever make up for losing my mom, but at least now we know what happened to her. View their profile including current address, phone number 850-584-XXXX, background check reports, and property record on Whitepages, the most trusted online directory. Police arrested 57-year-old Daniel Leonard Wells (Escambia County Jail) A 57-year-old man has been arrested 35 years after the murder of a young mother in Florida. "(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. 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. Wells' DNA is being offered to other nearby law enforcement agencies with unsolved sex crimes because he has lived locally the whole time, Pensacola police spokesman Mike Wood said. View Dan Rowdy Wells's record in Pensacola, FL including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Wells was being charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual battery and was scheduled to be in court on April 8 for his first hearing in the case. . PENSACOLA, Fla. A man who was arrested last month in a 35-year-old Florida Panhandle slaying has been found dead in jail from an apparent suicide, authorities said. Email Address: See available information. Daniel and Jennifer have resided together in a single family house in Kansas City, MO. We identified 991 records related to "Daniel Wells" in the state of Florida.