DNA links deceased suspect to 1994 murder

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has identified Arthur Joseph Lavery as a suspect in the 1994 murder of Melonie White, officials said.

On August 27, 1994, two hikers discovered a female body near Gypsum Wash in the Lake Mead Recreation Area and alerted authorities.

The following day, the Clark County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Melonie White. According to the coroner's report, her death was ruled a homicide, with evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.

Initially, the LVMPD Homicide Division led the investigation, but after exhausting all leads, the case was shut down and transferred to the LVMPD Homicide Division.

In May 2010, detectives requested additional forensic testing of evidence at the crime scene as part of a case review. A DNA profile was created and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but no match was found at this time.

In 2021, investigators with the help of the Vegas Justice League sent the unknown suspect's profile to Othram, a forensic genealogy company, to help identify the suspect.

On August 26, 2024, investigators received notification from Othram that forensic genetic genealogy had identified Lavery as a suspect.

Lavery was living in Las Vegas at the time of the murder and later moved to California in the mid-2000s.

He died on February 20, 2021 from heart disease and complications related to COVID-19, authorities said.