Columbus. A man was shot dead last month as authorities tried to serve him with a federal charge linked to weapons. He was identified as the murderer of a woman of Ohio aged 18, in a case that had remained unsolved for 43 years, police said.
Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann said the unsolved case of Debra Lee Millera local waitress killed by blows from an oven rack in her apartment on April 29, 1981, was reopened in 2021 to take advantage of advances in DNA technology and in criminal investigation.
“We looked at the matter as if it happened yesterday, with new eyes,” Bammann said at a press conference. “The results were surprising.”
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According to the chief, evidence collected at the scene established a “robust DNA profile” of James Vanestthen Miller’s neighbor and aged 26. Although he was questioned, he was never identified as a suspect during theinitial investigationwhich had been marred by accusations of police misconduct.
Miller was one of several people from the area Mansfield whose suspicious deaths in the 1980s were examined for links to members of the local police force.
A special investigation, commissioned by the mayor, concluded in 1989 that there was no evidence linking police officers to the deaths. However, the report had raised concerns about personal relationships between officers and the victim Miller, as well as the management of certain criminal investigations. It was mentioned that Miller had noted in his journal that he had sexual relations with several Mansfield police officers.
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Apartment where Debra Lee Miller lived, image provided by the Mansfield Police Department. Photo: AP
The local police chief retired in January 1990, after complaints emerged about possible irregularities in the investigation into the death of the ex-wife of a Mansfield patrolman.
Miller’s case was opened several times afterward, but this time, the county attorney Jodie Schumacher said the DNA evidence against Vanest was strong enough for a case to be prepared against him for the murder for presentation before a grand jury. However, the case could never be brought.
Police found Vanest living in Canton, about 100 miles east of Mansfield, in November 2021, and questioned him again about Miller’s murder. He admitted to lying to investigators during his first interrogation in 1981 and investigators had the impression this time he was trying to create an alibi to explain the presence of his DNA in Miller’s apartment, according to Bammann .
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Mansfield Police Detective, Terry Butlerrequested a second interrogation for spring 2024, but Vanest refused to speak and requested a lawyer. Authorities later said he sold his home in Canton, bought a pickup truck and trailer, and fled to West Virginia. He left several guns at his home in Canton before being arrested in West Virginia with two other weapons. He was arrested on state-level charges and released on bond.
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took over his case and subsequently charged him with federal weapons-related charges. On November 18, U.S. sheriffs and Canton-area SWAT officers attempted to serve the charge on Vanest at a motel in North Cantonwhere he was hiding.
“We learned that when the Canton sheriffs and SWAT team confronted him, Mr. Vanest threatened them with a gun and retreated inside the hotel,” Bammann said. “After a brief shootout, a Canton SWAT member was injured in the arm and Mr. Vanest was fatally shot.”
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The chief said the department considers the case closed and hopes that identifying Miller’s killer will bring some peace to his family.
Butler added that his great-uncle was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene of Miller’s murder in 1981. He said he was lucky to have had the opportunity to solve a homicide that occurred while he was He was only 10 years old. People need to understand, he said, that “we are not giving up, we are continuing to investigate.”
In short, this case highlights the importance of technological progress in resolving old criminal cases and questions investigative practices in terms of police supervision. This invites a holistic reflection on how investigations must evolve over time to ensure justice and transparency.
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