Man Allegedly Raped and Killed Indiana Woman in 1993. He Was Arrested 31 Years Later

Mar. 15, 2025

Carmen Hope Van Huss.Photo:FBI

FBI

A Missouri man has been charged with the murder of a woman in Indianapolis more than 30 years after her body was found.

Van Huss was found dead with multiple stab wounds, the FBI said, and authorities suspected she knew her assailant. The FBI said she was believed to have been killed with a pocketknife and a screwdriver.

Dana Jermaine Shepherd.Boone County Sheriff’s Office

Boone County Sheriff’s Office

Shepherd was arrested in Boone County, Mo., where he is being held as a fugitive from justice, court records indicate. Indiana court records do not yet list an attorney for Shepherd, and it is not clear if he has entered a plea.

Fox 59 and WTHR reported that Shepherd was identified as a suspect after DNA found in Van Huss’ apartment was linked to him.

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Shepherd is listed as an employee of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., where he works as a custodian, according to university records.

“My sister was a beautiful, 19-year-old art student at IUPUI,” Van Huss’ brother, Jimmy Van Huss told Fox 59. “She was an art lover, an animal lover, she picked up stray cats all the time. We were really getting close and spending more time together because I was now a freshman in high school and our six-year age difference was not as prominent. She was always happy and everyone loved her.”

source: people.com