63-year-old Anthony Harris has been taken into custody by the Michigan authorities about the 1980 homicide of 21-year-old Karen Umphrey. Beards Hills, close to Port Huron, was the site of Umphrey’s body discovery on November 2, 1980, following an altercation between her and her lover.
Umphrey and her partner were returning from a Port Huron party when she was tragically slain.
After 40 years of no leads, the Michigan State Police (MSP) finally contacted a forensic genetic genealogy firm in 2022 with evidence they had gathered from the murder scene. A man named David Laming was apprehended when scientists discovered a match.
In 2023, MSP provided Othram with further DNA evidence, which comprised a sample from an additional individual whose identity remained a mystery. Otham used the material to generate fresh leads, leading to Harris’s arrest.
On February 20, both parties were scheduled to appear in court: Harris for a probable cause conference and Laming for a pretrial conference.
A second DNA profile was created utilizing Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® in 2023, and MSP provided new DNA evidence to Othram. This profile belonged to the second unknown suspect. Open murder is an accusation against both Laming and Harris. A St. Clair County judge gave each defendant a $2 million bond, and Laming’s hearing is slated for February 20.
The 21-year-old Karen Umphrey allegedly fought with her boyfriend on November 2, 1980, between 12:30 and 2:30 in the morning. She got out of her car and went after him on foot. A witness saw a lady being dragged into a pickup vehicle at 3:30 in the morning, and they contacted the police in Port Huron about it. Later on, in Clyde Township, approximately 600 feet from the road, hunters discovered her lifeless body with two bullet wounds in her head.
