A Fulton County murder case from 21 years ago has finally been solved.
The advancement in technology for DNA matching is how police were able to catch the suspect, 61-year-old Jerry Lee. Authorities arrested him in Alabama and he was taken back to Georgia Thursday. Police tell 11Alive Lee, who is currently retired, worked in the correctional system around the time that the murder happened.
On the morning of Sunday, May 25, 1997, Lorrie Ann Smith's parents walked into her bedroom and found her dead. Their 28-year-old daughter - a marketing professional and a youth counselor at Union Christian Church of College Park and who spoke several languages and loved music - been shot several times.
There were no signs of forced entry or of a robbery. The case went unsolved for years.
"They've had 21 years of not knowing what happened to their relative," said Lt. Twanesa Howard with the Fulton County Police Department.
What the crime scene did show was signs of an altercation. DNA was also left behind, according to police. Howard said they entered it as evidence into the system, but it came back as a "no match for a possible suspect."
Howard said in 2017, they started using Parabon, an innovative technology company that develops forensic products and provides analysis services.
One of the services can help identify a person by matching their DNA to family members. Howard said it's similar to ancestry matching.
A relative from Alabama submitted DNA investigators were able to use to help solve the case. Parabon was able to verify a match, and after they received the results, detectives took action.
"From the Parabon familial match, which they returned to us, we were able to get a search warrant to go to his residence."
They compared the DNA collected at the crime scene more than two decades ago and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was able to confirm a match.
Howard said she is glad Lorrie's family will finally get some closure.
"The sadness they've felt for 21 years has now found some type of relief," she said. "Twenty-one years later it doesn't change how happy they are."
Police said it doesn't appear that Lorrie and the suspect knew each other. The motive still remains a mystery.
"The why is still unknown," Howard said.
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