FBI: New DNA evidence found in Lake Oconee murders, $20K reward announced
As the 10th anniversary of the Lake Oconee murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond approaches, FBI Atlanta revealed a possible breakthrough in the case.
EATONTON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — As the 10th anniversary of the Lake Oconee murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond approaches, FBI Atlanta revealed a possible breakthrough in the case. For the first time, DNA evidence not belonging to the victims has been discovered, agents announced in a news release on Thursday.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from FBI Atlanta and other agencies, has led the investigation since the couple was found murdered.
Special Agent Andy Smith of FBI Atlanta, who has been involved in the case for nearly a decade, says DNA evidence was found at the crime scene and is currently undergoing analysis.
“This is the first time we have confirmation of a sample that did not belong to Russell or Shirley Dermond,” Smith said. “If the sample is good enough, which we will know very soon, we can put that into CODIS, which is a national database, to possibly identify an individual.”
Smith says Sheriff Howard Sills of Putnam County has been “very adamant” and “confident that we’re going to solve this case.”
“I agree with him 100%,” Smith said. “We never stop looking. We never stop trying to identify who committed this crime.”
FBI Atlanta also announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killings.
“This is a crime that has really had an effect on a wonderful community in Middle Georgia,” Smith said. “And it has had an effect on the sheriff’s office there, the investigators. It was such a horrific crime. It’s really a convergence of events that have caused this case to go unsolved, especially with the amount of work that people have been putting into it.”
“We don’t fail, so we will continue to look for these individuals,” Smith continued. “Like I said before, we do not quit. There are hundreds of thousands of examples of FBI and state and local cases where we take however much time we need to solve the crime. We don’t stop. We never stop.”
