A mom was shot dead in her apartment laundry room in 1987. Now, her neighbor's finally under arrest.
More than 30 years after a young mom was shot and killed, a man who lived in her same small South Carolina community has been arrested for her murder, authorities announced on Wednesday.
Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old native of Hungary, was shot and killed at her apartment complex's laundry room in 1987, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said. On Tuesday, Cortez Sabino Lake, who was in the Navy and living in the same complex at the time, was taken into custody, authorities announced.
On the night of Nov. 1, 1987, Schuller’s 12-year-old daughter found her body in a pool of blood near the laundry room, authorities said. Schuller’s husband was in the Navy and on assignment in California at the time, authorities said.
Sexual assault was believed to be the motive, investigator Bob Bromage said.
Police tracked a trail of blood from the laundry room to the far end of the apartment units and theorized the killer was injured during the crime, according to the sheriff's office.
Two years later, the pistol used in the attack was found at a nearby construction site, authorities said.
But years went by without answers.
In 2005, once DNA technology improved, investigators took the unknown DNA sample from the blood trail and entered it into CODIS -- the Combined DNA Index System, the sheriff's office said.
Over time, the DNA eliminated all original persons of interest, the sheriff’s office said.
In 2019, investigators said they turned to the new technique of genetic genealogy -- an investigative tool in which the unknown DNA from the crime scene is identified by comparing it to family members who have voluntarily submitted DNA samples to a database. The DNA was also used to develop composite sketches of what the suspect may have looked like, authorities said.
After "countless hours of research,” a cold case committee volunteer zeroed in on Lake as the "likely" suspect, the sheriff's office said. Lake "was not on the radar" earlier, Bromage said. Investigators then obtained Lake’s DNA, which was found to be a match to the crime scene, authorities said.
At the time of the murder, Lake “lived between 600 to 800 feet from the laundromat. Margit Schuller lived probably about 50 feet from the laundromat," Bromage said at a news conference. "He would’ve known who Margit Schuller was."
Lake, now 76 years old, was arrested on a murder warrant on Tuesday, authorities said.
Lake continued to live in Beaufort County in the decades after the killing, authorities said, noting he worked at Beaufort Memorial Hospital as a respiratory therapist.
Bromage said he spoke to Schuller's husband this week.
"This devastated his life and his daughter," Bromage said.
Bromage said the husband doesn't remember Lake, but is thankful an arrest was made.
The sheriff’s office said it’s still looking for information and urges people to come forward. Anyone with information can contact Bromage at 843-816-8013 or submit a tip at tipsbft.com.
ABC News' Michael Pappano contributed to this report.
