Arrest Made in 1993 Murder of Indianapolis Teen

INDIANAPOLIS — One person has been arrested in connection with an Indianapolis slaying, 31 years after the crime.

Danie Shepherd, 52, of Missouri, has been charged with murder and rape in connection with the 1993 death of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss.

On Friday, August 30, 2024, Shepherd was arrested on suspicion of murdering Van Huss.

According to court documents, Van Huss was found murdered in her north end apartment on March 24, 1993.

Van Huss’s apartment was in the 8200 block of Harcourt Road.

According to court documents, Van Huss’ father was called by his daughter’s coworker when she didn’t show up for work. Her father later found her dead in the apartment.

In court documents, a coroner’s office report shows Van Huss was stabbed 61 times.

In 2000, after years of unanswered questions about her family, Carmen Van Huss’s DNA was entered into a national database.

After another 23 years of waiting, IMPD informed Van Huss’ family that a match had been found.

That match led police to Shepherd.

According to court documents, Shepherd lived in the same apartment complex as Van Huss at the time of the crime.

A DNA match was established from a blood stain on a paper bag removed from a garbage can in the kitchen of Van Huss’s apartment.

Shepherd’s extradition hearing will be held in Missouri on Wednesday.

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