1981 cold case murder of Juanita Boyd closed following identification of killer Carl "David" Phillips
LAPORTE, Ind. — After 45 years, we now know who killed Juanita Boyd on February 22, 1981.
On Tuesday, the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office identified Carl "David" Phillips as the man who killed Boyd.
"The identification of the individual responsible represents a significant step in a homicide investigation that had remained unsolved for more than 45 years," said Derek Allen, Administrative Captain with the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office.
Boyd was last seen at Snyder's Corner Tavern at the intersection of 1st and J Street, just five minutes away from her home.
The tavern is now split into two businesses — Verizon and Burger Taco.
In a now completely wooded area, Boyd's body was found in the trunk of her green 1970 Pontiac Catalina, strangled and stabbed.
"He was familiar with the area, and he had known relatives in the area," Chief of Detectives, Captain Andy Hynek shared.
Hynek says they re-opened the case in 2013 and in July 2026, thanks to new DNA testing, they found their guy.
"Parabon has a database that matches family DNA to unknown DNA samples. Specifically, in this case, it starts as much further away: cousins, second cousins, third cousins," Hynek explained.
This new information ruled out Boyd's boyfriend, Jack Pearson, who up until 2013, was the initial suspect due to possible relationship issues and a lack of other suspects.
Boyd's loved ones finally have answers. The detectives have closed the decades long case successfully — though they're unable to bring Phillips to justice because he died on September 24, 2017.
Juanita Boyd worked for the LaPorte County Courthouse and was described as a loving, nurturing mother to her 9-year-old son. Boyd's family attended the press conference though they did not speak, and they were not identified as family.