DNA evidence linked a now-dead Markle man to the 1997 cold case of 23-year-old Angela Saco.
A Fort Wayne mother of a two-year-old boy, Saco left her place of employment in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 1997. Her body was found later that day at the Huntington County Reservoir property.
An autopsy showed she had been stabbed to death.
Over 100 people were interviewed. But no one was ever charged. In 2024, evidence collected by the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana Conservation officers, and the Indiana State Police was submitted for genetic testing.
On Tuesday, the Indiana State Police announced that their Cold Case unit linked DNA found at the crime scene to Stephen L. Shlater.
Shlater was 50-years old at the time and had recently been released from federal prison. He had been convicted of extortion in 1995.
Huntington County Prosecutor Jeremy Nix said in a statement that if Shlater were alive today, he would be charged with Saco’s murder.
