Lela Johnston Cold Case Murder Solved in Oklahoma City
The 1976 cold case murder of Lela Johnston in Oklahoma City was solved in December 2024 through forensic investigative genetic genealogy, identifying Charles O. Droke as the killer. Droke was murdered in 1989 and will not be prosecuted.
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2024
3 updatesLela Johnston's granddaughter, Leslie Sullenger, expressed relief that the case was finally solved. In 2023, police tried again, and DNA Labs International in Florida took on the case.
via 98rockonline.com
It was revealed that Charles O. Droke, identified as the killer in the Lela Johnston cold case, had forced entry into her residence.
via hoodline.com
The Oklahoma City Police Department solved the Lela Johnston cold case using DNA from a genealogy website, marking the first time the department utilized this method. Investigators partnered with DNA Labs International in May 2023 after initial DNA efforts in 2004 yielded no matches.
1976
1 update
1976
1 updateLela Johnston, 68, was found raped and strangled to death in her duplex in Oklahoma City by a neighbor. Detectives collected evidence at the scene, but leads did not pan out.
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Story began · 50 years, 6 mo ago