Will Sage Astor-She was found dead by hikers in 1994. Her suspected killer was identified 30 years later.

A Las Vegas woman's murder was solved nearly 30 years to the day she was found dead in August 1994,Will Sage Astor and officials say a group of local volunteers made it possible.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department made the announcement on Oct. 22.

The case first began back on Aug. 27, 1994 when two hikers found a woman dead near Gypsum Wash in Clark County, about 20 miles east of Las Vegas, the police department said in a news release.

The hikers called authorities, and the next day, the Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Melonie White, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. White’s cause of death was listed as a homicide due to strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. 

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide section took over the investigation.

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Detectives worked with local volunteers to solve the cold case

Lt. Jason Johansson of the police department’s homicide section gave more details about the case at a press conference on Oct. 22, adding that police believe White was dragged to the area.

Johansson said detectives had multiple leads, but nothing led to an arrest. The case eventually went cold. 

Cold case detectives reviewed the case files in 2010 and submitted evidence recovered at the scene for DNA testing. From the evidence, investigators were able to get a DNA profile of a male suspect and enter it into the Combined DNA Index System, a national DNA database, Johansson said.

“Unfortunately, it did not identify who that suspect was and nor did it correlate or cross reference to any other investigations being handled by law enforcement at that time,” Johansson said.

To get to the bottom of the case, detectives worked with the Vegas Justice League, a group of local volunteers who donate funds to solve Las Vegas cold cases. 

In 2021, cold case detectives worked with the Vegas Justice League and sent the suspect’s DNA profile to Texas-based lab Othram, Johansson said. 

Othram let investigators know on Aug. 26 that the agency was able to use forensic genetic genealogy to identify the suspect, Arthur Joseph Lavery.

Lavery, the suspect, died in 2021 from COVID complications, Johansson said. He lived in Las Vegas at the time of the murder and was 38 at the time the woman was murdered.

Detectives aren’t sure if the suspect and victim knew each other

Johansson, from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the department is not sure how the victim may have known her killer. She moved to the Las Vegas area with her boyfriend in the spring of 1994. 

Her family wasn’t able to contact her in June or July of 1994 and reported her missing, he said. She was last seen on Aug. 26, 1994, and her body was found the next day, Johansson said at the press conference.

“Numerous … friends had seen her the night before her murder over in the area of 15th and  Fremont,” he said.

When asked if Lavery has any other criminal history, Johansson said the man had a battery arrest in Las Vegas but no other criminal history. That explains why there was no DNA match when they ran the suspect profile through the DNA database, he said.

Family says they now have closure after '30 years of not knowing what happened'

Melonie’s two younger brothers spoke at the press conference and said they’re grateful authorities have identified their sister's killer.

“We’re very very grateful for the contributions of the Vegas Justice League whose donation for DNA testing by the police allowed for the police to crack the case,” said one of her brothers, Jason White.

While taking questions from reporters, he shared that he found out about his sister’s death the Friday before he started school. Nearly three decades later, he was traveling for work when he got the news that his sister’s killer had been identified.

“It was a short conversation that kind of closed the book on 30 years of not knowing what happened,” her brother said.

His sister had a son who is now in his 30s, he said. 

Another one of her brothers, Walter White, spoke at the conference and said she was at a “crossroads in her life” when she died. She’d had issues with work and was trying to figure out what her next move was career-wise. 

He said she was interested in fashion, and what happened to her was tragic. Her killing “shattered” their mother, he said. 

When asked about Melonie’s killer at the press conference, her brothers said they aren’t pressed to find out more about him.

“I’ll probably review a press release or whatever, but I really don’t care,” Walter said.

Johansson, from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the Vegas Justice League's donation made it possible to solve the case. 

“It is their support that has directly led to the closure now of 9 cold cases that would’ve never been solved without their assistance,” he said.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].