Clark Perry Baldwin was arrested on May 6, 2020, for the 1991 murder of 33-year-old Pamela Aldridge McCall. The body of Aldridge, who was pregnant at the time she was killed, was disposed of in a rural area of Spring Hill, Tennessee, sometime in March of 1991. Aldridge had been raped and strangled. Sperm was recovered from her pantyhose and used to obtain a DNA profile of the suspect.
This DNA evidence was uploaded to CODIS and, while it generated no hits to the perpetrator, it was a match to DNA profiles obtained from two unsolved homicides in Wyoming, both of whom remain unidentified. The first victim, known as ‘Bitter Creek Betty’, was found on March 1, 1992, off Interstate-80 near the Bitter Creek turnout in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. She was nude and had likely died of strangulation. The second victim, known as the ‘I-90 Jane Doe’, was found in April 1992, just off the Interstate-90 near Sheridan, Wyoming. She was also pregnant at the time of her murder. Both victims are believed to have been in their early 20s at the time of their murders.
There is currently no information as to which organization conducted the FGG investigation, but the FBI is reported to have been involved in the surreptitious sampling of discarded items from Baldwin’s trash that were used to perform an initial confirmation of the DNA match.
Baldwin worked as a long-haul truck driver, with a route that would have taken near where the victims were murdered. Baldwin had earlier been charged in 1991 with raping and attempting to strangle a 21-year-old woman in Wheeler County, Texas. The charges were dropped when the victim could not be located, even though he had admitted to committing this crime.
The case against Baldwin for the murder of Aldridge is currently pending in the Maury County Circuit Court.
Sources:
Alund, Natalie Neysa. “How a True Crime Book and a DNA Hit Led to an Iowa Man Being Charged with Murder in 3 Cold Cases.” Des Moines Register, May 18, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2020/05/18/clark-perry-baldwin-waterloo-iowa-true-crime-pamela-aldridge-mccall-cold-case-spring-hill-tennessee/5214938002/.
Davis, Tyler J., Charles Flesher, and Philip Jones. “DNA Leads Federal Investigators to Suspected Serial Killer in Iowa; Clark Perry Baldwin Charged with Killing 3 Women in 1990s.” Des Moines Register, May 6, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2020/05/06/iowa-man-suspected-4-cold-case-homicides-tennessee-wyoming/5179320002/.
Christen, Mike. “Man Charged With 1991 Spring Hill Murder Arraigned in Maury County.” Columbia Daily Herald and Tennessean, May 30, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2020/05/30/clark-perry-baldwin-arraigned-1991-spring-hill-tennessee-slaying/5288005002/.
Fike, Ellen. “Who Are ‘Bitter Creek Betty’ and ‘I-90 Jane Doe’?” Cowboy State Daily, May 8, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/05/08/who-are-bitter-creek-betty-and-i-90-jane-doe/.
Martin, David. “Arrest Made in Sweetwater County ‘Bitter Creek Betty’ Cold Case.” Green River Star and Torrington Telegram, May 7, 2020. Accessed December 11, 2020. https://torringtontelegram.com/article/arrest-made-in-sweetwater-county-bitter-creek-betty-cold-case.