DNA Breakthrough Solves 2001 Cold Case Murder of Maryland Socialite Leslie Preer

A 49-year-old woman, identified as Leslie Preer, was found beaten and strangled at her residence in Maryland in May 2001. She was a well-known socialite in Washington. For more than 20 years, Preer’s killer evaded justice until a forensic test finally identified the suspect from DNA evidence found under her fingernails.

Leslie Preer was a well-known socialite in Washington who was murdered in 2001. Authorities discovered Preer's body at her residence, and there were clear signs of struggle. Authorities said that Peer was beaten and stabbed multiple times. DNA samples collected from under her fingernails indicated she defended herself while being attacked.

However, at the time of the murder, which was more than 20 years ago, forensic testing technology was not advanced enough. It could only find DNA matches among the people already entered in the system. As a result, the case went cold as no matches were found at the time.

However, in a recent forensic examination, authorities made a breakthrough after 23 years. Forensic genetic genealogy traced the unknown male DNA found under the victim’s fingernails. The DNA belonged to a male suspect identified as Eugene Teodor Gligor. Gligor was the former boyfriend of the victim's daughter, Lauren.

Police had earlier come across Gligor, who was on the suspect list, during the time of Preer’s murder. However, because there was no solid evidence linking him to the crime, the case went cold. Two decades later, investigators used genetic genealogy technology, which traces DNA through family trees, and were again led back to Gligor.

Detectives, in a covert operation, collected a water bottle that contained Gligor’s DNA and compared it to DNA found at the crime scene. Authorities confirmed it was a match, which identified him as the suspect in the murder. When confronted by authorities, he reportedly broke down and cried.

The evidence left little room for denial, and Gligor confessed to the second-degree murder of Preer. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, bringing closure to a case that remained unresolved for more than two decades.