Ronald Albert Shroy has been identified as the lead suspect in a double homicide that took place on June 9, 1977 in Eugene, Oregon. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Shroy.
16-year-old Liliana Gay Adank and 17-year-old Eric Shawn Goldstrand were shot to death at the picnic grounds at Fall Creek where they had gone swimming. Adank had been sexually assaulted.
DNA as well as fingerprints were recovered from the crime scene. No hits were found in the fingerprint database at the time. The DNA was reprocessed in July of 2020 to obtain a profile suitable for genealogical searching.
The FGG investigation was conducted by Parabon Nanolabs. The FGG search narrowed down the list of possible suspects to three brothers, one of whom was eliminated through DNA testing from a discarded cigarette butt. The other two brothers were living in Mesa. There is no information on how the final confirmation was made.
Shroy had lived in Eugene at the time of the murders. He left Eugene Oregon in the 1980s, and had been living in Mesa, Arizona since 2008. He committed suicide on February 24, 2021. He was in a physical fight with his brother, who was injured, and he killed himself shortly before police arrived.
Sources:
ABC15.com Staff. “Mesa Man Identified as Alleged Killer in 44-Year-Old Cold Case from Oregon.” ABC 15 News Arizona, September 24, 2021. Accessed September 26, 2021. https://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/mesa-man-identified-as-alleged-killer-in-44-year-old-cold-case-from-oregon.
News Staff. “Sheriff: North Eugene Murder Case From 1977 Solved; Suspect Killed Himself.” KMTR News 16 Eugene, September 23, 2021. Accessed September 26, 2021. https://nbc16.com/news/local/sheriff-north-eugene-murder-case-from-1977-solved-suspect-committed-suicide.
Templeman, Matt. “Special Report: Killing of Eugene Teens Solved 44 Years Later.” KEZI.com, September 23, 2021. Accessed September 26, 2021. https://www.kezi.com/content/news/Special-Report-Killing-of-Eugene-teens-solved-44-years-later-575381971.html.