SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – A decades-old murder case out of California was finally cracked after modern DNA testing capabilities in tandem with fingerprints lifted from a soda can at the crime scene pointed to two men believed to be behind the 1984 robbery/murder.
On the morning of November 15th, 1984, deputies from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department discovered the body of 41-year-old Dorothy Tate lying on the floor of her camper van that was parked along California's Pacific Coast Highway. Authorities at the time were alerted to the parked camper van after motorists reportedly noticed blood dripping from the door of the vehicle.
Investigators at the time believed Tate had been ambushed shortly after going for a jog with her two dogs at the nearby beach, as deputies noticed sand still in between the victim’s toes. The victim was found fully clothed, and there was no evidence of sexual assault, leading investigators to suspect the murder was motivated by an accompanying robbery where the suspects took off with Tate’s cash, credit cards, purse, and a new Nikon camera.
As years went by with no solid leads, the case grew cold. However, following the advent of modern DNA testing through genealogy analysis, officials announced earlier in January that they believe they have identified Tate’s killers.
The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department revealed on January 20th that one of the suspected perpetrators was then-35-year-old Steven Richard Hardy, a Vietnam veteran from Texas. A known cohort of Hardy’s and the second suspect, then-35-year-old Charley Sneed, was apparently identified via fingerprints left behind on a soda can at the crime scene.
Cold Case Detective Clinton Cole from the sheriff's office said of the two suspects, “Sneed was known to be a rough guy that liked guns and a kind of hothead. Hardy was just more of a transient drifter type who liked to drink beer. Those two were almost always together. If you saw one, you would see the other.”
Detective Cole believes the two men had ventured out to California at the time due to Sneed having gotten into some legal trouble back in their home state of Texas. Not long after Tate’s 1984 murder, the two suspects reportedly made their way back to Texas, with Sneed landing himself a 40-year prison sentence for an unrelated kidnapping case.
Sneed was released from prison back in 2009, dying five years later in 2014 from natural causes. Hardy also passed away back in 2003 from natural causes after he was admitted to a veterans hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
On the morning of November 15th, 1984, deputies from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department discovered the body of 41-year-old Dorothy Tate lying on the floor of her camper van that was parked along California's Pacific Coast Highway. Authorities at the time were alerted to the parked camper van after motorists reportedly noticed blood dripping from the door of the vehicle.
Investigators at the time believed Tate had been ambushed shortly after going for a jog with her two dogs at the nearby beach, as deputies noticed sand still in between the victim’s toes. The victim was found fully clothed, and there was no evidence of sexual assault, leading investigators to suspect the murder was motivated by an accompanying robbery where the suspects took off with Tate’s cash, credit cards, purse, and a new Nikon camera.
As years went by with no solid leads, the case grew cold. However, following the advent of modern DNA testing through genealogy analysis, officials announced earlier in January that they believe they have identified Tate’s killers.
The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department revealed on January 20th that one of the suspected perpetrators was then-35-year-old Steven Richard Hardy, a Vietnam veteran from Texas. A known cohort of Hardy’s and the second suspect, then-35-year-old Charley Sneed, was apparently identified via fingerprints left behind on a soda can at the crime scene.
Cold Case Detective Clinton Cole from the sheriff's office said of the two suspects, “Sneed was known to be a rough guy that liked guns and a kind of hothead. Hardy was just more of a transient drifter type who liked to drink beer. Those two were almost always together. If you saw one, you would see the other.”
Detective Cole believes the two men had ventured out to California at the time due to Sneed having gotten into some legal trouble back in their home state of Texas. Not long after Tate’s 1984 murder, the two suspects reportedly made their way back to Texas, with Sneed landing himself a 40-year prison sentence for an unrelated kidnapping case.
Sneed was released from prison back in 2009, dying five years later in 2014 from natural causes. Hardy also passed away back in 2003 from natural causes after he was admitted to a veterans hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
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