Post by Scumhunter on May 6, 2015 23:29:24 GMT -5
(above: Candra Alston and Malaysia Boykin Credit: Columbia, SC Police Department, wistv.com)
(above: Computer generated sketch of person of interest. Credit: Columbia,SC Police wistv.com)
Four years after the brutal murder of a Columbia, South Carolina woman and her 3-year old daughter, investigators are hoping a new cutting edge technology will help solve the case.
Candra Alston, 25, and her 3-year-old daughter Malaysia Boykin were found dead inside Candra's apartment on Jan. 9, 2011. Sadly it was Candra's own father, Carl Alston, who made the discovery. Although there have never been reports of how exactly Candra and Malaysia were killed, most news reports the causes of death as being very brutal. One coroner described the case as one of the most horrific murder cases involving a child he had ever seen.
A computer and children's clothes were stolen from the apartment, however, Columbia Police Department homicide investigators do not think robbery or sexual assault was the motive, and theorize the computer was taken to possibly disguise the killer's identity, and anything else was just taken as a crime of opportunity.
Soon Detectives would be exploring a possible link to Backpage.com, a classified service which accepts ads for escort services. It would be determined that Candra had placed an ad on the service. Her and her daughter's murder, along with others have ignited calls for the website to shut down its' adult section. Backpage has been accused of promoting sex trafficking, and the controversy involving the site was briefly mentioned on America's Most Wanted's sex trafficking special on Lifetime. Former AMW host John Walsh also briefly mentions the controversy in interviews when discussing sex trafficking in the United States. Backpage, for their part, vehemently denies their site has become a hub for sex trafficking. (Admin Note: Not personally taking sides here, just mentioning the debate as it relates to this case.)
Although it has now been four years, technological advances offer a new hope:
After processing DNA evidence taken from inside the apartment using DNA Phenotyping, authorities now have a computer-generated rendering of whom they're calling a 'person of interest.
The male is possibly dark-skinned with brown hair and brown eyes. The picture does not indicate an exact age, so he could be older than he appears, investigators said.
Police believe the man may have answers to the longstanding questions surrounding who killed Candra and her daughter.
Admin Note #1: According to online articles, Anyone with any information on this case is asked to call Midlands Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
Thoughts? This is a very sad case. It should be stressed the computer generated sketch is simply someone Columbia Police think may have information. He is not believed to be the killer at this time. Of course, things could always change, but at this point that would be speculation. Investigators seem to think Candra knew her attacker, and I tend to agree with them. If it was someone from backpage, I would assume Candra met with him more than once, however. Investigators mention the brutality of the crime. More often than not crimes that are more brutal than average are very personal in nature. It's been four years but this case can still be solved.
www.wistv.com/story/27852345/new-dna-technology-might-help-solve-columbia-cold-case
www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=711076#.VUrkTPlViko
www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/25/grisly-murders-escort-site-backpage
