Valley Cold Case Murder: DNA Leads To Arrest In 1994 Death

Palm Desert CA

08 March, 2022

2:46 PM

Description

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CA —Forensic genealogy led to the recent arrest of a Gardena man in the decades-old murder of a Desert Hot Springs woman, the Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced Tuesday. Cheri Huss, killed almost 28 years ago, would be 67 years old if she were still alive today. According to Hestrin, the man responsible for her death when she was just 39 years old has finally been caught. Sharron Eugine Gadlin, 49, was arrested Friday evening in Gardena. He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center and was being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He was charged in her cold case murder Tuesday. The year was 1994. Cheri Huss lived in an apartment on Parma Drive in Desert Hot Springs in 1994. Police have not revealed how she met the man who ended her life. It is not clear how her killer—now thought to be Gadlin—entered her home on April 24, 1994. That evening, she was stabbed multiple times, was bitten at least once and killed, according to the District Attorney's office. She fought back against her attacker, investigators said. Huss drew enough blood that— when paired against the saliva in the bite— marks created a solid DNA profile. All that combined was ultimately used to positively identify Gadlin, according to Hestrin. Catching A Killer: It wasn't the ideal Valentine's Day for Gadlin. On February 14, investigators arrived at his home with a warrant for his saliva, according to the DA's office. Gadlin, identified through forensic genetic genealogy, lived in Thousand Palms in 1994. He lived a mere 12 miles away at the time of her murder and was not quite 21-years-old when Huss was killed. Still, investigators needed a recent DNA match to make an arrest. The California Department of Justice lab confirmed that Gadlin's DNA matched Huss's suspected killer just four days later. "I hope Cheri and her family will finally get the justice they deserve and have waited so long for," District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. "Our cold case team of investigators will continue to use cutting-edge technology to solve old murder cases across Riverside County. Our prosecutors will continue to vigorously prosecute these murderers until we get justice for their victims." Regional Cold Case Homicide Team investigators ask that anyone who may have information about this case call (951) 955-2777 or leave a tip on the Riverside County Sheriff's Department website homicide tip form found here: https://www.riversidesheriff.org/528/Contact-Us