DNA evidence links jailed man to second Indiana cold case
MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) – DNA evidence obtained after a 1997 bank robbery in Miami County, Indiana, led to the arrest of a man already facing charges of murder and bank robbery in a separate Indiana cold case that he was also linked to by DNA evidence.
An arrest warrant was issued for William Stinemetz, 52, of Palm City, Florida, Wednesday after his DNA was matched to evidence submitted to Indiana State Police. The results were entered into the Combined DNA Index System and a search of the system revealed an alleged match to Steinmetz.
Stinemetz is accused of robbing the First Farmers Bank and Trust in Amboy, Indiana, on Decemeber 18, 1997. Stinemetz allegedly demanded money from a bank teller while claiming he had a handgun.
The arrest warrant was served at the Fulton County Jail where Steinmetz is currently being held.
In December of 2015, Steinmetz was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to an 18-year-old bank robbery and murder cold case out of Fulton County. Steinmetz is accused of robbing a bank in Kewanna, Indiana, and murdering Kewanna resident Lawrence Pfeifer.
An investigation revealed Stinemetz has family ties to northern Indiana.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
