Three years after a Toronto couple was found slain in their Florida home, police in Florida have released a new detailed composite sketch of a suspect they believe was involved in the murders.
David Pichosky, 72, and Rochelle Wise, 66, were found dead on Jan. 10, 2013 in their Hallandale Beach condominium after friends reported they hadn’t picked them up as scheduled the day prior.
The medical examiner concluded they both died of asphyxiation.
Police were able to recover two DNA profiles at the scene and have suggested that two women were involved in the murder.
In 2013, police concluded that the DNA samples did not match anything in both the U.S. and Canadian crime databases.
At a press conference Thursday, Hallandale Beach Police Chief told reporters that through new technology, investigators have produced a composite sketch of a suspect they believe was involved in the incident.
Investigators employed DNA Snapshot Phenotyping to predict the suspect’s physical appearance and biogeographical ancestry using the DNA evidence found at the scene.
The phenotyping technology has indicated that the suspect has green or hazel eyes, light olive or fair skin, dark brown or black hair and is of a southeastern European background.
The phenotyping also indicated the suspect likely has an above-average body mass index and a low percentage of facial freckles.
“This technology gives us an opportunity to narrow our potential field of suspects,” said Flornoyn. “We have not had a match since January of 2013, which would mean that either the perpetrators of owners of this DNA have not been arrested, have never been arrested and are not in any database.”
Early in the investigation, Hallandale Beach police released a sketch of a potential suspect using surveillance camera footage of a woman feeding ducks in a pond nearby the Pichosky’s property.
Flornoyn said investigators believe there are similarities between the woman seen in the surveillance footage and the woman in the new composite sketch, but based on the two DNA profiles found at the scene, two separate suspects are still believed to be involved in the murders.
“This is a close-knit community and we believe that if that person belonged to the community, that they would have come forward already and identified themselves as the person feeding the ducks,” said Flornoyn.
Police said the incident may have initially been motivated by robbery after they realized Wise’s $16,000 wedding ring with a unique, custom-made band was missing.
“We’re just missing one tip. We’re just one tip, one lead away from solving this case,” Flornoyn said.
