A Virginia man has been arrested after being connected to two cold-case murders using evidence.
The first murder took place in 1986, according to authorities. Stafford County resident Jacqueline Lard was last seen on November 15, 1986, when the real estate agency where she worked closed for the day. The next morning, Lard’s coworkers discovered a crime scene at the office, which the Stafford Police Department described as a “horrific struggle.” Investigators discovered that both the 32-year-old and her vehicle had gone missing. The following day, two children playing in a rural area discovered Lard’s body beneath a pile of discarded carpet.
The second murder happened in March 1989, when Stafford County resident Amy Baker went missing while visiting family in Falls Church, Virginia, according to Fairfax County authorities. Baker, 18, never returned home after the visit. Her automobile was discovered unoccupied that night, and her relatives reported her missing. Her family conducted a search and discovered Baker’s body in a forested area near an I-95 exit ramp.
The alleged killer of Baker and Lard was identified using forensic evidence from both crimes. In 2021, the Fairfax County Police Department’s cold case team sent evidence from Baker’s death to DNA Labs International. A DNA profile was developed and entered into Virginia’s state database. This enabled authorities investigating Lard’s death to link the two murders.
Then, with help from Parabon NanoLabs and the Virginia State Police’s Unsolved Violent Crimes and Cold Cases Analytical Support Team, detectives used forensic genetic genealogy to ascertain a potential suspect’s family name. As a result, authorities initiated an investigation into 65-year-old Stafford County resident Elroy Harrison.
The Harrison probe began in February 2024. On March 4, a Stafford County grand jury indicted Harrison on various offenses, including first-degree murder, abduction with the purpose to defile, and aggravated malicious injury to Lard. Fairfax County officials say Harrison has not been charged in connection with Baker’s murder, but an investigation is underway.
Harrison was arrested on March 5 and is still in Rappahannock Regional Jail. He was denied bond, according to jail records.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jacqueline’s and Amy’s family and friends, and we hope that this arrest brings them some comfort,” the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office stated.
