Detective Ryan Glas, a cold case investigator with the NYPD, helped solve a 30-year-old double homicide involving a mother and daughter in Harlem. The victims, Sarah Roberts (57) and her daughter Sharon (25), were strangled in their home in 1994. Glas, who was 10 at the time of the crime, took on the case as his first assignment in the cold case unit.
The investigation led to the arrest of 64-year-old Larry Atkinson, a career criminal with 28 prior arrests and multiple prison stints. DNA evidence, including biological material from the victim’s fingernails, linked him to the crime. The suspect denied involvement, and police have not disclosed a motive or how he entered the victims' apartment without forced entry.
The victims’ family was unaware of the renewed investigation and was shocked yet grateful for the breakthrough. Glas described the original case file as well-organized and methodically revisited past interviews and evidence, ultimately leading to the successful resolution of the case.