Over the past few years, there have been a handful of cold cases that reached long-awaited resolutions. Each one has offered a bit of peace to families who spent years without answers.
This particular case centers around a woman who was murdered in Indiana. Her three-year-old daughter was found sitting beside her lifeless body, untouched but left completely alone.
But tragically, the 26-year-old never arrived at her destination.
The Indiana State Police reported that by 10:30 in the morning the following day, Bailer’s car was discovered abandoned in Grant County, Indiana. There was no trace of her or her child at the scene.
Authorities later revealed that Phyllis had been sexually assaulted and then fatally shot. Her daughter, however, had been spared and was found physically unharmed.
Back then, investigators did have a suspect in mind. But without enough evidence, they were unable to make an arrest.
As time passed, the trail grew cold. It seemed like the truth of what happened that night might never be uncovered until something changed.
In a major development last year, police revealed that they had managed to extract ‘a much stronger DNA profile’ from the clothing of the victim. This opened the door to new possibilities, allowing them to collaborate with a company based in California called Identifinders International. The forensic genealogy company was founded by Colleen Fitzpatrick and helped investigators move the case forward using innovative techniques.
Thanks to this advanced tool, investigators were able to identify Fred Allen Lienemann as the individual whose DNA had been found on Bailer’s clothing.
In an official announcement made on Wednesday, April 16, police shared the following statement: “Phyllis Bailer never made it to Bluffton to visit her family.”
Fred Allen Lienemann was 25 years old at the time of the murder. According to investigators, he had no known relationship with Phyllis Bailer but did have a significant history of criminal activity.
As for justice, Lienemann can no longer face prosecution. He was killed in Detroit back in 1985. However, law enforcement believes that if he had still been alive today, he would have been formally charged with the murder of Phyllis Bailer.