Detectives hope new suspect images will help find the killer of a 1991 Federal Way murder.
Sarah Yarborough was found dead at Federal Way High School on December 14, 1991. She was 16-years-old.
Sarah was last seen leaving her home to go to her high school, en route to a dance team competition. Her car was parked in the school parking lot but somehow she ended up dead in a wooded area near the school.
Cold case detectives with the King County Sheriff’s Office thought they had breakthroughs in years past. In 2011, they tried scanning palm prints recovered at the scene and match them to anyone palm-printed in the past. And in 2012, they used genealogy databases to identify a family name of the suspect.
"Based on the analysis done on the suspect DNA profile in this case it has been learned that the suspect is a member of the extended family of Robert Fuller, who arrived in Salem Massachusetts in the 1630's. Robert Fuller is related to two Fullers who arrived in American on the Mayflower. The suspect may have the last name of Fuller," the department released in a statement.
They compared DNA with some people with the last name Fuller but did not turn up any suspects.
Now, detectives have a new trick up their sleeves. DNA was submitted to create a new set of sketches based on DNA markers and genetics.
Retired King County Sheriff's Detectives Tom Jensen and Jim Allen say they hope this possible look at a suspect will bring in more leads.
"It's always been a priority I don't think it's ever not been worked by a detective," Allen explained.
The years have not always been easy for Sarah's family. Her brother Andrew was 11-years-old at the time of Sarah's murder and says he still thinks about her.
"She loved music, she loved dance and ballet; I remember that about her. She was a reader," he said.
The family hopes for an arrest and for accountability, but it will not bring Sarah back. Instead of focusing on how she was killed, they think about how she lived.
"I want people to remember her laugh, which was infectious. Her wonderful smile and her kindness," said Andrew. "She was gracious to others, she was gracious to a younger brother who was probably pretty awful at times."
