A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case

By Sara Smart, CNN

(CNN) — A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.

Sherry Holtz, who was 50 at the time of her death, was found dead on December 4, 1999, a day after she was last seen at a bar in Sanford, Florida, authorities said at a Friday news conference.

A person collecting cans in the woods discovered Holtz’s body lying on a concrete slab about 20 feet into a wood line in Sanford, according to Sanford Police Department spokesperson Bianca Gillett.

“This was … there’s no other way to describe it but a brutal homicide,” Gillett said.

Holtz’s neck was cut and there were signs of strangulation, blunt force trauma and sexual battery, authorities said.

A lock blade knife was found near her body with blood and other DNA on it, but since the samples were not large enough, it was difficult to perform testing in 2000, according to Gillett.

Investigators preserved the knife and reopened the case in May 2023. Authorities confirmed last month the blood on the knife was Holtz’ and additional DNA on the knife belonged to Gary Durrance, 74.

Durrance, who was Holtz’s longtime boyfriend, was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree homicide, Gillett said.

CNN has been unable to determine if Durrance has obtained legal representation at this time.

The couple lived at a home in Sanford with three other people who were interviewed by investigators at the time of the homicide. The roommates said the couple had an argument and on December 2, 1999, Durrance kicked Holtz out of the house.

Authorities say Durrance had denied being with Holtz on the night of the homicide.

The bar Holtz was last seen at was about half a mile away from where her body was later found, Gillett said.

“Sherry Holtz was brutally murdered and left behind in the woods as if her life had no value. This was someone’s mother, someone’s daughter,” Sanford police chief Cecil Smith said in a statement.

“Durrance will now face justice for the horrible and despicable things that he did,” Smith said. “I hope his arrest brings a little comfort to those that loved Sherry and have waited 24 years for this moment.”

Durrance is being held at Seminole County’s John E. Polk Correctional Facility and has a court appearance scheduled for September 10, according to jail records.

CNN’s Chenelle Woody and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.

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