Mom Vanished in 1981 and Was Found Dead in Her Trunk. Decades Later, Police Finally Know Who Killed HerKC BakerFri, November 13, 2026 at 10:11 PM UTC
Juanita Boyd and Carl David PhillipsCredit: La Porte County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
On a wintery night in Indiana in 1981, Juanita Boyd got into her Pontiac Catalina but never made it home
Six days after she was reported missing, her body was found in the trunk of her car, which was stuck in the mud in a rural field
Now, 45 years later, police announced that they had identified her killer
Nearly five decades ago an Indiana mother vanished on a wintery night, and was later found dead in her trunk. Now police have identified her killer.
Juanita Boyd, 31, of LaPorte, was reported missing on Feb. 22, 1981, after leaving Snyder’s Corner Tavern, WKVI reported.
“Juanita was actually an employee of the county at the time that this happened, “Capt. Andy Hynek of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference on Tues., Nov. 10, WLS reports. “She worked at the courthouse. She had a son who was 9 years old, who she was extremely close with, that she spent all of her time with. We know that she was a very loving, nurturing mom, and it was totally out of character for her not to come back home the next morning.”
Six days later, her remains were found in the truck of her 1970 Pontiac Catalina in a field off of Forrester Road in rural Coolspring Township, the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Her death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation, per the sheriff’s office.
Deputies found her car stuck in the mud, with boards from a nearby structure shoved underneath the rear tires indicating that someone had tried to move it, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators collected evidence from the scene including Boyd’s clothing and items in her car.
Though the case went cold, investigators continued to pursue leads in the unsolved murder case.
At the time of Boyd’s murder, DNA testing was not available. Over time, however, investigators began taking advantage of advances in DNA technology and developed a DNA profile from seminal fluid found on Boyd’s clothing.
Investigators compared the DNA profile to others, but did not find a match.
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As the years went on and DNA testing continued to improve, investigators used forensic genealogy to help identify the killer by creating a genetic family tree and locating people who share the same DNA as the unidentified profile.
In July 2026, a DNA profile was collected from an immediate relative of a potential suspect.
In October, investigators learned that profile comparison showed the DNA profile collected from Boyd’s clothing matched that of the suspect, Carl “David” Phillips, the sheriff’s office said.
Phillips was 37 and living in LaPorte County at the time of Boyd’s murder, according to the sheriff’s office. He was familiar with the area because he lived near the area where Boyd’s body was found as a juvenile, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators found no known connection between Boyd and Phillips except for the DNA evidence collected from her clothing.
On September 24, 2017, Phillips died in LaPorte County.
“Had he been alive today, the LaPorte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would have charged him with the murder of Juanita Boyd,” the sheriff’s office said.
Boyd’s family has asked for privacy during this time, Fox 32 Chicago reports.
Source: Crime
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