GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — Virginia State Police on Friday announced a major development in a 30-year-old homicide case from Gloucester County, identifying a deceased Northern Neck man as the suspect in the killing of 18-year-old Laurie Ann Powell.

At a morning press conference, authorities said advancements in DNA technology led investigators to identify Alan W. Wilmer Sr. as the person responsible for Powell’s death. Wilmer, who lived in the Northern Neck, died in 2017 at age 63.

Powell was last seen on March 8, 1988, walking along Route 614 toward Route 17 in Gloucester County. Her body was found on April 2, 1988, in the Elizabeth River near Craney Island. She had been stabbed multiple times.

State police said charges would have been filed against Wilmer if he were still alive.

Wilmer

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