DAVIE, Fla. \u2014 After nearly four decades, Davie police say new DNA testing has solved the 1987 cold case murder of 28-year-old Marilyn Decker.<\/p>\n
Decker\u2019s body was found mutilated and stuffed inside a large bag floating in a Davie canal near Flamingo Road. For years, investigators had few leads \u2014 until the department\u2019s cold case unit reopened the file in 2021.<\/p>\n
Detectives say evidence recovered from Decker\u2019s shirt and a towel at the scene \u2014 specifically strands of hair \u2014 ultimately led them to Donald Lawless, a man with a lengthy criminal history dating back to the 1940s. Lawless died in 1995.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found evidence at that scene that led us to Lawless,\u201d said a Davie detective. \u201cHe was not on our radar \u2014 not on anybody\u2019s radar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using modern forensic genealogy, investigators built a genetic profile from the hair samples and traced it through family trees. Since Lawless had been cremated, detectives obtained DNA from his living relatives to confirm the match.<\/p>\n
Lawless\u2019 criminal background and the manner in which Decker\u2019s body was dumped have led detectives to believe he may be connected to similar cases in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and elsewhere in Broward County.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt we believe Lawless has ties to other cases,\u201d the detective said.<\/p>\n
Decker\u2019s sister, Gail Demore, said the breakthrough brought both closure and anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt infuriates me that my sister\u2019s murderer, with such a long history of violent acts against innocent victims, was left unpunished,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Decker\u2019s parents died before seeing the case solved.<\/p>\n
Davie police say they are now working with other local and national agencies to determine whether Lawless is linked to additional unsolved murders.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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