DNA gives detectives hope: ‘We’re going to solve this case’

Photo by: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette

Investigator Dwayne Roelfs, left, and Lt. Curt Apperson display the large volume of paperwork pulled from the Holly Cassano case. The men were at the Champaign County sheriff's office in Urbana.

The killer's DNA is the Holy Grail of the Holly Cassano case.

Semen and the killer's blood were recovered from the crime scene. Champaign County sheriff's detectives believe he was likely cut as his hand slid over the hilt of a kitchen-type knife.

DNA was extracted from both samples to develop profiles that are unique only to the contributors of that blood and semen.

"It's obviously huge and puts us in a good position," said Lt. Curt Apperson, who is supervising detectives investigating the crime. "We feel every day we're going to solve this case."

None of the detectives is prepared to adopt one theory of what happened over another, despite the input of an FBI profiler who suggested the killer may have been a white male, possibly a teenager, who may have expressed sexual interest in Holly Cassano and may have been "acquainted" with the mobile home park.

Apperson said it's "dangerous" to stick with a single prevailing theory.

"You need to keep an open mind. Each door that opens, each tip we get, is another theory or another opportunity or scenario," he said.

"We just hope it is not somebody who is already deceased," said Sgt. Dave Sherrick, a sheriff's deputy who spent fours years on the case as a detective. "In the back of my mind, there's always the possibility that the DNA may not show up. It's a big piece of evidence that can't be refuted."

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DNA gives detectives hope: 'We're going to solve this case'