Test Results of Jill Marker’s Clothing

Police Department - July 21, 2010

Additional testing did not reveal male DNA on the clothing worn by Jill Marker on the night she was attacked, Police Chief Scott Cunningham announced today.

The Winston-Salem Police Department delivered Marker’s clothing to Laboratory Corporation of America in Research Triangle Park on May 21 in the hope that “touch” DNA analysis might retrieve and identify DNA samples from anyone who touched the clothing. Detectives also delivered oral swabbings from Jill Marker and Kalvin Michael Smith along with blood samples from a subject of interest.

While the results did not add clarification to the guilt or innocence, any information is deemed useful, Cunningham said. “It is unknown if DNA was present on the clothing at the time of the attack and had deteriorated over the years. It is also unknown if DNA was ever present on the clothing. These results do not prove or disprove the guilt or innocence of any person associated with this crime.”

The Police Department is continuing its review of the entire case and hopes to present a comprehensive report in late fall of this year.

Marker’s clothing had been held in police evidence storage since being seized from Forsyth Medical Center on December 10, 1995. The blood samples from the subject of interest had been held in police evidence storage since they were obtained on December 21, 1995. New oral swabs were obtained from Smith and Marker and were submitted for comparison purposes.