Decades. We were still with no answer i mean, this poor family. We thought, we might be able to solve this case. Could cutting edge science yield a new clue . This was a huge lead. Absolutely. This wasnt someone they had reason to look at or talk to before. He was here. He was here the whole time you are literally talking to christys killer. Right. Face to face. Evil comes in all packages. It certainly does. Hello and welcome to dateline. Christy marack always knew she wanted to be a teacher and her enthusiasm showed. Colleagues marveled at her way with kids, but her life was cut tragically short and investigators eventually hit a dead end. Decades later a crash course in dna analysis gave them a picture of her killer and revealed a stunning truth, that hed been hiding In Plain Sight the whole time. Heres Andrea Canning with, facing the music. Reporter they were having so much fun. A group of girlfriends hitting the town one Saturday Night, lost in the music. We would go to different clubs and we probably made ourselves known, were here, come look at us, in a fun way. Reporter this was the playground they knew by heart. This was the home where they felt safe. They were invincible. You were in this bubble. Youre 25, like, nothings gonna happen to you. Reporter and then, less than 48 hours later one of them was gone murdered. The killer was at large. And i remember being paralyzed, like, not being able to leave the house. Reporter this not only stole your friend, it stole your innocence. Yeah. It so did. It did. Reporter it would take another 25 years to find the killer. A most unlikely suspect. Always there. Watching them. Daring them. Reporter you are literally talking to christys killer. Right. And i kept thinking after the fact, im like, he had to have known who i was when i was standing in front of him. He had to have known who i was. Reporter some things are so life altering you cant forget them, no matter how hard you try. For Harry Goodman, that moment came the morning of december 21st, 1992. Harry was the principal of an Elementary School in Lancaster County, pennsylvania. His star teacher, 25yearold Christy Mirack, was late for work. Christy was there every morning right around 8 00. Reporter when 8 00 became 8 30, harry grew uneasy. And the kids had started to come into the classroom. So i called her apartment about five times. Nothing. Reporter he contacted her family who lived about a two hour drive north. Christys Brother Vince mirack. I think we were in panic mode. The kind of person she was, we just thought something was wrong. It was that gut feeling. Reporter the family told harry they hadnt heard from christy that morning. Harry couldnt wait any longer, he knew she lived nearby with a friend. Reporter so you decide to jump in your car, to go see whats going on with christy . I was prepared to go down and change a tire along the interstate. Reporter thats what you were expecting. Thats what i was expecting. Reporter you thought, okay, her cars broken down. Right. Reporter but it wasnt. And when he eventually pulled up to christys Apartment Complex i saw her car there. And it was iced over. Reporter uhhuh. And then i started to freak out. Reporter her front door was open. He went inside and looked to his left. He saw her in the living room, lifeless on the floor. He ran to call 911. I was a total mess. I think i was i was in hysterics and total shock. It was pretty apparent that she had been murdered. Reporter Craig Steadman went onto become the Lancaster County district attorney. Back in the early 90s, he was a young prosecutor. Reporter this was a horrific scene. Yeah, it was a nightmare scene. You know, not only the fact that you had this young teacher who was brutally murdered, but she had been sexually assaulted on top of that. Reporter did it seem clear, at least at first glance, how she died . No. Other than that it had been there had been a brutal struggle. Reporter the Medical Examiner would later determine that in addition to being sexually assaulted, christy had been beaten and strangled to death, likely that very morning. I mean, she had her gloves on. So, most people, when theyre getting ready to go to work, they its the last thing you do is you put your gloves on beforehand. She had christmas presents that she was taking to her students that day, that were strewn about. As part of the struggle. Reporter so brazen, too, that this would happen at that that hour of the morning, when people are going to work yep. Reporter to school. And those places are close together. And theres a lot of cars around there and people. A lot of people around. The number of witnesses that could have been there. I mean, some that person was very determined to do whatever he wanted to do. Reporter police collected crime scene evidence, including dna the killer left behind during the sexual assault. And they canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses. Her Brother Vince says he had no idea what was happening until he arrived at the police station. The session was started with, you know, there was an accident. She passed away. And, of course, obviously we said, what happened . And thats when they told us. She was murdered. Reporter christys roommate, mary, got a call from police asking to meet back at the apartment something about christy being in trouble. When she arrived, a detective approached her. And he brought me into his car and he said, christys been murdered. And i just remember, like, like, being doubled over, just trying to stop the shaking. Reporter mary explained that she left the apartment around 7 00 that morning. Christy was still getting ready for work. I was driving away and im like, oh, i should go back and get my lunch. Oh, im already this far. Im just gonna keep going. Reporter that meant christy was murdered sometime between 7 00 and just after 9 00 that morning, when Harry Goodman found her. Investigators asked mary to do a walk through of the apartment. Right away she saw Scuff Marks On and near the front door. And theres something from his shoes or her shoes, she dug in. Its its its what i thought shes, like, just dug in and, like, he was drag like she was dragged. And then there was just a lot theres a lot of blood on on the carpet. Reporter and you had to see that . It just has to be so traumatizing. Yeah, it was. Reporter investigators believed christy opened the door to leave, only to have the killer drag her back in. Something else caught their attention, marys final conversation with christy. Before i left, i went and said, okay, were gonna meet up later . Something else that caught her attention marys time conversation with christy. Before i left we were like okay were going to meet up later. And she sounded distant and i said, are you okay . And i said and shes like, no, im fine. So then i just went to work. Reporter what do you think it was . I dont know. I dont know if she was just thinking about the day or just she was preoccupied. Reporter christy had something on her mind and only moments to live. Investigators had to find out if the two were connected. Coming up clues to a mystery. A boyfriend. She had told me that things were ending. She was finally ready to move on. This was a big deal. Mmmhmmm. And a mysterious visitor at christys school. I thought, i may have just been face to face with the killer. When dateline continues. When dateline continues the itch can last 24 hours. But with pataday once daily relief extra strength you get fast, 24hour relief in one drop. Make it a pataday with the drop thats right for you. Now without a prescription. Everywhere. Nexgard is the flea and tick protection thats 1 with vets. It even prevents the infection that causes lyme disease. Your vet trusts nexgard for her patients and her own dog. Plus, its delicious beef flavor is 1 with dogs. Ask your vet about nexgard. These are real people, not actors, whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your Eczema Specialist about dupixent. If your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. Alright, guys, no insurance talk on beach day. Im down. Yes, please. [ chuckles ] dont get me wrong, i love my rv, but insuring it is such a hassle. Same with my boat. The insurance bills are through the roof. [ sighs ] be cool. I wish i could group my insurance stuff. [ coughs ] bundle. The house, the car, the rv. Like a cluster. An insurance cluster. Woosah. [ chuckles ] i doubt that exists. Its a bundle its a bundle, and it saves you money hi. Im flo from progressive, and i couldnt help but overhear. Super fun beach day, everybody. Welcome to this family meeting. Im here because you guys need some serious together time. The good kind. Moms alone at the office. Dads hiding out in the van. And the kids are virtually teaching each other. Yall need to let yourselves woah. At universallllll. Good job, jonesesess. Jones. Jones . Anyway, thats how you let yourself woah save 40 on hotel and ticket packages right now. Not later, like right now. Reporter Lancaster County is pennsylvania amish country. A place where old ways and modern suburban sprawl meet. The brutal murder of a schoolteacher just before christmas 1992 upset that sense of peace. A lot of people in Lancaster County, particularly back then, they just didnt lock their doors, they didnt lock theirs cars. A very trusting community. Reporter and yet, da Craig Stedman says Christy Miracks killing didnt have the mark of a stranger. 7 00, 7 30 in the morning, home invasion, sexual assault. It would be highly unusual for Something Like that to take place at that time of day, in someones apartment, just at random. Reporter Police Wanted to know if christy had any enemies. The answer was no. Her Brother Vince says his sister had tons of friends. She was kind, caring and focused. From the time she was a little girl, she wanted to be a teacher. We had a little thing set up in our in our garage where she was the schoolteacher. Now its the summer, and the Kids Wanna Go Out and play. And my sisters pullin them in to teach them. Reporter when she wasnt playing school, she was goofing around, like a normal kid. You can ask anybody and theyll tell ya the same thing. She always was laughin, smilin just a good good havin a good time. Reporter after high school she took her work play ethic to lancaster where she met her other family. Were you all like sisters . Yeah. Absolutely. Christys circle included that roommate, mary, chris, lisa bailee and maryanne taylor. We shared clothes, hair products, everything. I dont think theres anything about each other that we dont know and thats such a rare friendship. Reporter and when it came to christy, her friends knew she could hold her own, especially when theyd go out. If someone came up and she wasnt interested, shed had no problem telling people, hit the road. Im not interested. Reporter she was also protective of her friends. When they graduated a few of them set up house, in that Apartment Complex, just outside downtown lancaster. Christy was always a very safe person, like lock your doors, always leave with a buddy. And we did feel safe. There was no time it was in the middle of nowhere. I mean, our backyard was an amish farm. It was a dairy farm. Reporter by then christy had already landed her dream job, as a teacher. Here she is leading a Sixth Grade Class in science. These are the ways we would classify any type of animal. Reporter Harry Goodman saw Something Special in her. She had the kids motivated. They were captivated. Some people would drag themselves into work. Christy didnt look at it as work. Reporter if only you could bottle that. Oh my gosh. Reporter and sell it. Yeah. Tell me. Reporter but investigators did find one loose thread in her life. She loved him. So loyal to him. Reporter christy had fallen for a man who went by the nickname dagger. He wasnt exactly her friends idea of a catch. Christy was 25 and he was not. We he was old. I remember thinking how old he was. He was 20 years older. Yes. Reporter almost twice christys age. But he had good job as president of the local teamsters. And he was generous. I think she felt cared for. I dont even know exactly how, whether that was financially or what, but i think she felt cared for. Reporter christy didnt divulge much about her boyfriend or his past. But her friends could tell he was in no rush to the altar. They thought that bothered christy, especially as the friends started moving out and getting married. Maybe having just been to chriss wedding that september, im thinking maybe thats that she was realizing, thats the life i deserve, too. Reporter two days before she was killed, that saturday, christy had come to a decision. She had told me that things were ending with dagger and she was finally ready to move on. Reporter this was a big deal because she had been with him for years at this point. Years. She looked happy. And we saw christy back, bubbly, happy, ready to get out there and live. Reporter and that night she did. The friends went out downtown, hitting the clubs. Now, police had to consider whether christy told dagger she wanted to break up. If so, had he taken it badly . Was that on christys mind the morning she was murdered . Or had christy angered someone else from that Saturday Night . Police wanted to know more. Where did you eat . Where did you go dancing . Where did you go after that . Who was there . Reporter then, something bizarre. The day after christys murder, a man walked into her school. He clearly didnt belong there. I approached him and said, may i help you . Reporter bob wildasin was an assistant school superintendent. He said, oh, im just here to see Christy Mirack. I said, well, unfortunately, youre gonna have to leave. Christy has passed. Reporter the mysterious visitor said he hadnt heard the news. He claimed he was christys friend. Then, he left. It was hard to believe that anyone in Lancaster County would not have heard about it. Reporter bob wildasins mind raced. Hed heard stories of investigations where the criminals seemed eager to catch the attention of police. Immediately after that is when i called the police. I thought i may have just been face to face with the killer. Reporter whoever that mystery man was, police knew they had to find him immediately. Reporter coming up it would have been shocking to her to see him come in that building. Reporter a surprise was in store about that surprise visitor. It was something to do with him. There was no other logical explanation. We were terrified. When dateline continues. Red when dateline continues reporter bob wildasin was one of christys colleagues. He was certain the man whod shown up at school a day after the murder, claiming to be her friend, had, instead, been her killer. I was convinced. In fact, i said, were gonna get the guy who did this right now today. Reporter he called police, told them the story and gave them the mans name. Turned out it was no random visitor at all. It was none other than dagger, christys longtime boyfriend. Police brought him in for questioning. They found out dagger had a secret. He had a wife. He was married. So, he was pretty high on the suspect list. And i can tell you, just even talking to the investigators, they were absolutely convinced that you know, that he this was him. Reporter but dagger insisted it wasnt. He said when christy died he was hundreds of miles away, in virginia where hed recently moved with his wife. Christys friends were stunned. She never mentioned dagger was married. They werent sure she even knew. Now they had to wonder if her decision to break things off with him, two days before her death, had doomed her. He might not have liked that. I mean, she was devoted to him. And im sure that would be a loss for him to not have that uhhuh. In his life anymore. And it was years. I mean, you dont just cut that tie and have it not mean anything. Reporter and when they heard hed shown up at christys school, their suspicions grew. We were all thinking he was trying to establish some kind of alibi or to show that he had no involvement, look how much i love her. Im ready to make it public. And it was so odd because it it was everywhere that she had been murdered. I mean, everywhere in lancaster. So, i just never understood how he didnt know. And it was very uncharacteristic of him to show up at the school. I think it would have been shocking to her to see him come in that building. Like, it would have been unnerving for her to have her worlds collide like that. Reporter but the idea that dagger did it fell apart. Police confirmed his alibi. He had been in virginia at the time of the murder. They also tested his dna against the dna the killer left during the sexual assault. He was eliminated through alibi as well as scientifically. Reporter still, her friends wondered if he might have been involved in christys death, somehow. To them, dagger had always been a man of mystery. He didnt talk about his life or work. Their imaginations ran wild. He either hired a hit man right. Uhhuh. Uhhuh. Or it was revenge. It was something to do with him. It was somebody that wanted to get back at him for whatever reason. There was no other logical explanation for us at the time. We were terrified. Reporter but investigators didnt buy the hitman angle. Professional hitmen do not usually get into handtohand physical combat with their victim, and they certainly dont leave multiple dna samples behind. You wouldnt think that anyone would do it at 7 15 in the morning in her apartment. There would be way better ways to do this. Its just not consistent with a professionaltype hit. Reporter so Police Needed to consider other men christy mightve crossed. Her friends did mention one incident from that Saturday Night. They ran into someone whod dated another one of their friends. Who was not a good guy and we called him out on it. Reporter they believed the man had been abusive to their friend. Had even killed her dog. I think we yelled, puppy killer. Puppy killer. Reporter oh, my gosh, how did he react . He was scary. Yeah, he was a sociopath. Big, scary. Reporter and so so did you tell the police about him as well . Uhhuh. Yeah, i mean, talk about a motive, thats something we latched onto yes. Uhhuh. Because we thought christy angered him by calling him this name in a very public place. Reporter police looked into it but eventually cleared him too. In the meantime, her friends kept trying to help with the investigation. I mean, they had her photo albums and we would go through all the guys in the photo album and give them their names. Reporter as it happened police were already interested in someone else. His connection to christy was more recent and compelling than those old photos. And hed practically driven himself into the heart of the case. Reporter coming up i walk in the door and they start to fingerprint me. Im thinking what . They think i did this. Reporter a principal, under the microscope whats their tone . What kind of questions are they asking you . Extremely accusatory. First question, did you murder Christy Mirack . When dateline continues. When dateline continues when you have a twoinch lift. When you have Goodyear Duratrac tires. When you have rancho shocks and an integrated dual exhaust. When you have all that, the last thing youll need. Is a road. The Chevy Silverado trail boss. Ready to offroad, right from the factory. Feel the cool rush of claritin cool mint chewables. Powerful 24hour, nondrowsy, allergy relief plus an immediate Cooling Sensation for your throat. Feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. [announcer] were thrive cosmetics, we create high performance, cruelty free, 100 vegan formulas and we love that you love our products. Like our Award Winning liquid lash extensions mascara. Plus, with every product you purchase we donate to help a woman thrive. Join our Movement Today at thrivecosmetics. Com. Im dara brown. Heres whats happening. China has issued new sanctions against usa canadian officials including gale manchin. The sanctions follow accusations from the u. S. And canada china has committed human rights abuses which despite evidence otherwise china strongly rejects. Baltimore will no longer prosecute drug possession, prostitution and low level crimes. Since then all categories of crime have declined in baltimore. Now back to dateline. Welcome back to dateline. Im natalie morales. Schoolteacher Christy Mirack was strangled and beaten to death in her apartment early sunday morning. Given the time of day investigators believe she knew her killer. Her exboyfriend dagger was high on their suspect list but his alibi checked out. Reporter after Christy Miracks murder, her principal Harry Goodman says he got a phone call to come down to the police station. And they said, we wanna talk to you and ask you questions about christys teaching and those kind of so i walk in. Reporter he thought they would ask routine questions about christys background. He was wrong. I walk in the door and they start to fingerprint me. Im thinking, what . They think i did this. Im mourning the loss of our teacher and our friend, and all of a sudden, im being interrogated. Reporter why do you think they zeroed in on you . I found her. Reporter and thats it . Yeah. That one thing reporter that one moment in time. That one thing . I found her. Reporter actually, there was a bit more. The d. A. Said investigators found harrys drive to check on his employee that morning very strange. Reporter a lot of bosses, when someones only, you know, 30, 40 minutes late, they dont jump in their car, you know, to go to go see if someones okay. Why did you feel the need to to do that . Thats just who i am. I i knew something was wrong. I thought christy might need help. Reporter he says police asked where hed been in the hours before her death. Harry recalled going to the gym, coming home to change, and heading back out to work. Reporter whats their tone . What kind of questions are they asking you . Extremely accusatory. You know, why would you have hired her . What was is it about her that you liked so much . I mean, they were coming at me with all ends. Reporter detectives asked if he would take a polygraph. Im thinking ive got nothing to hide. Hook me up. First question, did you murder Christy Mirack . Reporter harry told them no. After answering all their questions, he says he passed the polygraph. They later confirmed his alibi and his dna was not a match. But harry knew some people still suspected him. My teachers would always come up to me. Harry, you shouldve heard what soandso was saying, but i told them. And i said, dont tell me. I dont wanna know. Reporter police began looking elsewhere. They even considered the possibility that christy might not have known her killer. Thats when her friends recalled something that had happened months earlier at the apartment. Back then, they brushed it off. Now they wondered. Reporter you have a bizarre incident one night where dagger comes over and sees somebody in the bushes. They went after the stranger. We immediately jumped up and started screaming at him and we chased him down here and all the way down there. Uhhuh. Reporter and what gave you the courage to go after this person . Cause he violated us. He was peeking in our window. Reporter but they never got a good look at the guy. That wasnt much help to police. Investigators needed to focus on the solid leads they did have. Neighbors told them theyd spotted a white car outside christys apartment just before the murder. There were four, five or six people that saw, at some point that morning, a white car driving around that complex. Reporter some thought it was a Toyota Celica like this one. But one witness, who saw a man get out of the car near the apartment that morning, described a different make and model a Dodge Daytona. Police decided to focus on that type of car. So they took that information, and then they put it in the the registry for for pennsylvania, for anyone that had similar type vehicle. Reporter but her friends didnt know anyone who drove that kind of dodge. They started to worry the killer whoever he was might come back, for one of them. I remember going to go to work and i saw a car that was meeting the description of the car that they were looking for, being paralyzed, like, not being able to leave the house because hes waiting for me. And i remember writing their License Plate Number down and putting it in my pocket so when they found my body, they would have this clue. Reporter this has to strike fear in in to people when when a young girl like that is brutally murdered and and the person who did it is at large. Was out there. That person was out there this whole time. Reporter the investigation dragged on. Weeks became months, then years. Still, police believed that white car and the dna from the crime scene would lead them to christys killer. Reporter do you remember how many people were were tested for their dna . Well, it was definitely dozens. We looked at suspect after suspect after suspect. As time went on, we started just reaching out to just, well, could it be this person . Could it be this person . Reporter and when the fbi created a national dna database codis investigators on christys case uploaded a sample from the crime scene. It didnt match the dna of anyone in the system. The waiting was especially hard for christys mother. A decade after the murder, she died not knowing who killed her daughter. I promised her that i wouldnt give up. You know . Because i knew it was, you know, she was leaving. And we were still with no answer. Reporter vince took up the cause, staying in touch with police, even putting up a billboard, looking for any new leads. But nothing. Just hitting this dead end all the time was just it was just extremely frustrating for us as a family. Reporter but a breakthrough was coming a new way to analyze dna and catch criminals. A new way to find christys killer. Reporter coming up what were looking for is the pieces of the dna for that persons eye color, their hair color, their face shape. Reporter could a Dna Breakthrough Break the stalemate in christys case . Reporter he could look a lot like this. Right. When dateline continues. When dateline continues ths youve got the looks lets make lots of money youve got the brawn ive got the brains lets make lots of uh uh uh oohhh theres a lot of opportunities with allstate, drivers who switched saved over 700. Saving is easy when youre in good hands. Allstate click or call to switch today. These are real people, not actors, whove got their eczema under control. With less eczema, you can show more skin. So roll up those sleeves. And help heal your skin from within with dupixent. Dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderatetosevere eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. Dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. Many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. Dont use if youre allergic to dupixent. Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. If you take asthma medicines, dont change or stop them without talking to your doctor. So help heal your skin from within, and talk to your Eczema Specialist about dupixent. If your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. Mom look at you. No braces, if your financial situation has changed, all the internet you can handle. I wasnt so lucky. Vo invis is not your parents braces vo invis is predictable. Less painful, more comfortable. Invisalign. Its like a Flavor Festival on an almond. Zest fest. Zest fest. Blue diamond almonds, super flavor all on a superfood. The 1 name in flea and tick protection frontline® plus kills fleas, ticks, and chewing lice, and its fastacting, Waterproof Formula protects for a full 30 days. With frontline plus, and new Frontline Shield for dogs with tick and mosquito repellency. You and your pet can go everywhere. No matter how you define it. Frontline®. Here. There. Everywhere. [announcer] were thrive cosmetics, we create high performance, cruelty free, 100 vegan formulas and we love that you love our products. Like our Award Winning liquid lash extensions mascara. Plus, with every product you purchase we donate to help a woman thrive. Join our Movement Today at thrivecosmetics. Com. Reporter time seems to pass more slowly here in the rolling farmlands of Lancaster County, pennsylvania. But for Christy Miracks loved ones, it felt like time had stopped all together. Nearly 25 years had gone by since her death, and investigators were no closer to catching her killer. It must have bothered you knowing that whoever did this was getting away with it. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. They were still out walking around. Or was he . I think there were times where we thought, this person could be dead by now and then well really never know. Right. Reporter still, they wanted to know, needed to know who her killer was. They just had to wait a little longer. Some things in Law Enforcement are just through hard work and dedication, some things are just through coincidence and a little bit of luck. Reporter in 2016, the das office heard about a new tool that uses dna to solve cold cases. Genetic Phenotyping allows scientists to create a composite of a suspect, using the dna left at a crime scene. So were reading the information out of that dna that determines what that person looked like. Reporter Ellen Greytak is director of bioinformatics at a Company Called parabon, which has helped pioneer the use of dna phenotyping. So that dna built that person. And thats what were looking for, is the pieces of the dna that coded for that persons eye color, their hair color, their face shape. And then we can tell that to the detectives. Reporter this isnt the first time phenotyping has come up in one of our stories. Last year, parabon created an image from my dna to show how it works. Why am i anxious right now i feel like im the criminal or something. Lets see it. Oh wow. I felt like after i got my composite sketch from parabon that if i hadve committed a crime and left my dna, i wouldve been completely busted. Yeah, absolutely. You wouldve been right at the top of that suspect list. Reporter and now the lancaster da hoped the company could help with christys case. They analyzed the dna left by her killer, traitbytrait. Hair and eye color, facial structure, even ancestry. We found that he was partially of european descent, but also partially of latino descent so he was a mix of those two ancestries. Reporter they came up with three composites to reflect how he might have aged over the years. He could look a lot like this. Right. This may have been approximately what he looked like when the crime was committed. Reporter the da asked christys family and friends to take a look. But when they actually saw the composite i didnt see anyone i knew. And im like, this is a stranger. Reporter in october 2017, the Da Made The Composites Public during a press conference. Maybe someone else would recognize the person in those images. There will be no tip thats gonna be a waste of our time. We got a lot of calls. Some of them seemed hopeful at first, but ultimately led to led to nothing. Reporter oh, thats so frustrating. Yeah, this was kinda felt like our last shot, our last thing that we could do. Reporter the composite didnt work. But it would not be their last shot. Thats because investigators working an unrelated crime in california came upon another way of solving cold cases. Police arresting a man they believe is the socalled golden state killer, discovered using dna. Reporter California Detectives found their suspect after uploading dna from a crime scene to a database used by thousands looking for lost relatives. Their search turned up people whose dna had distant matches to the killer. From there investigators constructed a family tree and narrowed it down to their man. When you read about it and you see it, you just say to yourself, well, why didnt i think about this . I mean, its totally completely brilliant. Reporter parabons genetic genealogists did the same thing in the hunt for the man who murdered christy. Sure enough they found relatives who shared dna with her killer. In a couple of days, theyre able to take these few people who share dna with our unknown killer, and build to who that person couldve been. Reporter remember, they knew the killer had european and latino ancestry. One man in the family tree stood out. He matched the ancestry and lived near christy when she was murdered. But that didnt mean investigators in lancaster could make an arrest. We dont arrest people on what a genetic database is saying to us. We needed to get his sample and we needed to have it confirmed through the state police crime lab. Reporter so, they staked him out, hoping hed leave behind something with his dna on it. We had a couple of undercover guys watch him all day long to try to see him abandon something. He abandoned nothing. He took everything with him. We completely struck out. Reporter they tried again. State troopers eventually followed the man to, of all things, an event at a public school. This time, success. An undercover female trooper befriended him and she was able to get get some things directly from him. Reporter what did she get . She was able to get a water bottle and gum that he had used. Reporter the State Crime Lab compared the dna from those samples to the dna from the crime scene. They matched. Now investigators were confident they had their man standing right where they least expected him, in the shadows of the dance floor. Reporter coming up he slept on my bed that night. You just dont know what to think. Reporter who was the man who murdered christy . a lot of our officers knew who he was. A lot of our officers had been at events hed been at. His stunning identity revealed at last. You are literally talking to christys killer. Right. Facetoface. When dateline continues. Facetoface when dateline continues announcer carvanas had a lot of firsts. 100 online car buying. Car vending machines. And now, putting you in control of your financing. At carvana, get personalized terms, browse for cars that fit your budget, then customize your down payment and monthly payment. And these arent madeup numbers. Its what youll really pay, right down to the penny. Whether youre shopping or just looking. It only takes a few seconds, and it wont affect your credit score. Finally a totally different way to finance your ride. Only from carvana. The new way to buy a car. Welcome back. After dozens of dead ends and disappointments the question of who killed Christy Mirack would finally be answered. If investigators thought the identity of the killer was a bombshell, they were in for another surprise. Here now is Andrea Canning with the conclusion of facing the music. Reporter detectives believed theyd finally found Christy Miracks killer. They matched his dna to the crime. And they were ready to arrest him, until reporter you realize hes not even home. Hes on vacation. We found out that he was actually on a trip across america with his wife and daughter. Reporter now d. A. Craig stedman had an agonizing decision to make. Do we arrest him out there and not have our investigators try to interview him . Do we risk, you know, the safety of the the his his new wife and adopted daughter . Reporter so, what do you do . Well, so, i made the decision to wait. Reporter thankfully, their man returned to lancaster. And on an early summer day in 2018, they arrested him outside his house. What was his reaction . He kind of was acting pretty calm, oh, well, this is, you know, kind of a joke, right . And they kept telling him, no, youre arrested for Criminal Homicide of Christy Mirack. Reporter he denies it . He denied it. He denied ever knowing her. Today we are announcing the arrest of Raymond Charles rowe for the murder of Christy Mirack from december 21st, 1992. Raymond rowe. Who was he . Never heard of the guy. I dont know who this person is. Reporter turned out many people knew the accused by a different name, dj freez. All right ladies and gentleman, we have one more toast. Reporter christys friends were floored. He was the local deejay everyone wanted. He was the guy who went to the same church as me. He had been raised in lancaster and he had essentially stayed here for his life. Reporter around the time of christys murder, rowe worked a Warehouse Job by day and performed in clubs at night. Aside from a brush with the law in 2001, Disorderly Conduct and resisting arrest, he stayed out of trouble. Over the years he married four times and built a name for himself as a deejay. A lot of our officers knew who he was. A lot of our officers had been at events that he had been at. Reporter he was living In Plain Sight. He was living In Plain Sight. He had been living In Plain Sight. He never hid it. Reporter now, he was charged with murder. Investigators quickly connected him to another key piece of evidence, that white car. In 1992, rowe owned a Toyota Celica, similar to this, that some of christys neighbors had mentioned. Not the dodge Daytona Police focused on. I had sitting in my office, a pile about this big, of all the Dodge Daytonas and that were registered in pennsylvania, back at that time. Reporter but not the celica . Not the celica. Reporter why why not go through both in the database . I do not have an answer for you on that. I think that they felt, like, based on the information they had, that the Dodge Daytona was the way to go. Reporter investigators now believed rowe drove that car past christys doorstep often. We discovered that he worked in very, very close proximity to where christys apartment was. Reporter stedman says its even possible rowe was the peeping tom that christys friends chased just months before her murder. The what if haunts them. The thing that bothers me is, if it wouldve like, what if it was him . If i would have caught him, then reporter it gets you upset . Yeah. Reporter just thinking about it now. Yeah. Reporter investigators also knew that rowe might have Spotted Christy in one of the downtown clubs. Like that saturday before her death. Was he at the club that weekend . One of the places you went to . We dont know. We didnt know him. He he didnt stand out if he was there. Reporter and yet, the d. A. Thinks its likely the two met. I think it was targeted. I think that she had encountered him at some event beforehand. My guess is, had spurned him and he saw her out there at that apartment at some point. Reporter the deejays connection to christy seemed tenuous. But stedman says the dna proved rowe killed her. In fact, the odds of the killer being anyone other than him on the entire planet werent just one in a million. Nonillion, octillion, like a thousand trillion trillion, things like this. I i you cant even actually conceive of a number with 27 zeroes or 30 zeroes, which is what we ended up getting. Reporter its remarkable. Yeah, it i just had ive never heard of a case with this much. Reporter and remember that composite from the killers dna . Turns out it was a pretty good match to rowe. Even then, it was hard for some in lancaster to believe rowe could commit such a horrible crime. Especially this woman. He was the life of the party. Reporter her name is monica whalen. She was engaged to rowe when christy was killed. This is the first time shes publicly talked about their relationship. Reporter youre learning that they believe he brutally murdered a woman, sexually assaulted her and then came home to you. Yes. Reporter how do you process that . You just dont know what to think. I mean, he slept on my bed that night. You know, we had christmas four days later. And we got married months later. Reporter and youre none the wiser. No. Reporter but monica does remember christys murder being in the news and talking to rowe about it. He was concerned about your safety. Uhhuh. Reporter after this murder . Yeah. Reporter its outrageous to think that hes advising you on your safety and worrying about you when he was the killer. Uhhuh. Yeah, it is surprising. Reporter the couple divorced almost six years later. There must be a part of you is that, like why what didnt i see . Yeah, there was that. There was, it coulda been me. You know, why wasnt it me . Why did she have to die . Reporter rowe was now facing trial and if convicted, the death penalty. But it didnt come to that. In january 2019, he pleaded guilty to the murder and rape of Christy Mirack in exchange for a life sentence. As for christys family they felt relieved but also cheated. Hes been doin what he wanted to do for the last 26 years. And shes been dead for the last 26 plus years. And i still think he got off pretty easy. Reporter christys friends are angry that rowe was able to live among them for so long. Never hinting at what hed done. He was the guy i talked to when my daughter was planning her wedding reporter no. At a wedding expo, face to face. Reporter oh, my gosh. Spoke to him. Reporter you are literally talking to christys killer. Right. And i kept thinking after the fact, im like, he had to have known who i was when i was standing in front of him. Oh, absolutely. He had to have known who i was. Reporter now, shed like to have one more chance to meet him, face to face. How did you know her . And why did you do this . I still want to drive to the prison and see if hell let me in. I just want to ask him. I just dont understand why he did this. Reporter and they may never know. Neither rowe nor his lawyers responded to datelines request for comment. Through it all, this Circle Of Friends has stayed bonded. They thank christy for that. Id like to think christys kept us together. You almost feel guilty that we were able to get married and have kids and we still think about christy, like, that she never got to have that. She was a huge light in this world that was just taken way too soon, just way too soon. Im craig melvin. And im natalie morales. And this is dateline. If you admit that shes never coming home, its like youre admitting defeat or that shes dead. Reporter a hard working wife, a loving mother. She was having affairs. They worked in the same office areas, they spent some time after hours. Kathy was trying to break off the relationship. She ner