Anthony Harris: DNA testing leads to arrest of second man in Karen Umphrey's 1980 murder

PORT HURON, MICHIGAN: A second man from Michigan has been accused of the murder of a 21-year-old woman discovered fatally shot in a state game area over four decades ago.

As per authorities, DNA evidence linked both Anthony Harris, 63, and Douglas Laming, 70, to the killing of Karen Umphrey, whose body was found in the Beards Hills State Game Area on November 2, 1980, according to CrimeOnline.

Anthony Harris is charged with the 1980 murder of Karen Umphrey

On February 7, Harris was formally charged with open murder in connection to Umphrey's death, and his bond was set to $2,000,000. 

Laming, on the other hand, faced charges on December 17, 2023, after the St Clair County Sheriff's Office attributed advancements in DNA testing and its accessibility to linking him to the homicide.

Both Harris and Laming are scheduled to appear in court on February 20.

Othram was behind analyzing the DNA evidence that led to the arrests of Anthony Harris and Douglas Laming

As reported by DNASolves.com, a website dedicated to funding and coordinating DNA testing initiatives, Michigan State Police submitted DNA recovered from the crime scene to Othram, a company specializing in DNA analysis and forensic genetic genealogy for cold case resolution, in 2022.

Othram developed a profile from the sample and employed forensic genetic genealogy techniques to generate leads, ultimately resulting in the arrest of Laming.

In 2023, state police provided Othram with additional DNA evidence, including a sample from an unidentified individual. The corporation utilized this new evidence to generate further leads, leading to the apprehension of Harris.

According to The Times Herald, Umphrey, who was reportedly shot twice in the head, was last seen leaving a party in Port Huron between 12.30 and 2.30 am on November 2, 1980.

Authorities believe she was last seen alive at 3.30 am when a person probably saw a woman being forced by a man into a pickup truck near the intersection of 10th and Water Streets.