Suspect identified in 1981 La Porte County murder
DNA genealogy linked Carl David Phillips to the 1981 asphyxiation death of Juanita Boyd, closing a 45-year investigation.
By Matthew Brooks ·
The La Porte County Sheriff's Office identified Carl David Phillips as the suspect in the 1981 murder of Juanita Boyd on Tuesday. Investigators used DNA genealogy to make the match, resolving a case that remained open for 45 years.
Boyd was reported missing on Feb. 22, 1981, after she did not return to her La Porte home. Law enforcement began a search for her and her recently purchased green Pontiac. Six days later, on Feb. 28, authorities found the vehicle stuck in mud along an agricultural lane in rural Cool Spring Township. Boyd's body was located in the trunk, and her death was ruled a homicide caused by asphyxiation.
For decades, investigators pursued various leads but lacked the technology to analyze biological evidence effectively. DNA testing only became available in the early 1990s. In July 2026, officers collected DNA from a potential suspect. This sample matched DNA recovered from one of Boyd's undergarments during the original investigation.
Phillips was 35 years old at the time of the murder. He died on Sept. 24, 2017, in La Porte County. Officials stated that Phillips would have been charged with the homicide if he had still been living. Investigators noted that Phillips had relatives living near the location where Boyd was found and was familiar with the area. Circumstantial evidence also placed him in the general vicinity around the time of the crime.
Phillips had a prior criminal record in Indiana. He served time in the Indiana Department of Correction for armed robberies committed in Tippecanoe County in the mid-1970s. He was on parole when Boyd was killed. In 1984, he was convicted of burglary in La Porte County and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was paroled in June 1991.
Boyd's boyfriend, Jack Pearson, was initially considered a suspect in 1981. Investigators ruled him out after reopening the case. Officials said there is no known connection between Phillips and Boyd, but they believe the two had some type of interaction.
The family of Juanita Boyd has requested privacy since the resolution of the cold case. The sheriff's office provided the information through a news release and a press conference held on Tuesday morning.
