Suspect identified in 1973 cold case murders of NJ teen sisters in Florida
NEW JERSEY - More than half a century after two teenage sisters from New Jersey were brutally murdered during a vacation to the Florida Keys, authorities have finally put a name to their killer.
What we know:
Florida investigators identified David Allen Snyder as the suspect in the 1973 cold case using advanced DNA technology and genetic genealogy.
The 57-year-old died in 2008, in Idaho without facing trial for what authorities described as "gruesome" murders.
Killed on vacation
The backstory:
New Jersey sisters Marguerite Jenkins, 18 and Mary Jenkins, 16, were last seen hitchhiking while vacationing in Key West in 1973.
Their bodies were discovered the next day in a wooded area. Police say they were severely beaten and suffered apparent gunshot wounds, but no suspects were identified at the time.
Finding the killer
Dig deeper:
In 2018, investigators pulled a more detailed DNA profile from a bloodstain on the victim's clothing, but running it through the national database didn't turn up any matches.
Investigators finally identified David Snyder as a possible suspect in 2023, when authorities teamed up with a private lab to build an advanced DNA profile, allowing them to use genetic genealogy and build out family trees.
In 2026, investigators collected a DNA sample from one of Snyder's relatives, which officially confirmed his identity as the suspect. Records also showed Snyder was living in Key West during the time of the crimes.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.