SURRY COUNTY, N.C. — A man arrested in Mississippi could be connected to a 30-year-old cold case, according to investigators.
The Surry County Sheriff’s Office said Warren Luther Alexander was arrested last week for the 1992 murder of Nona Cobb. He was extradited back to North Carolina Sunday. Investigators said they reexamined physical evidence and DNA last year and their investigation led them to Alexander as a possible suspect.
Investigators said Cobb’s body was found on the side of I-77 on the morning of July 7, 1992. She was last seen at a truck stop. They said a witness saw Cobb get into a tractor-trailer with a man. Investigators are now looking into the possibility of more victims.
Investigators said Alexander's DNA matched a sample connected to Cobb's murder. Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick works for Identifinders International, a group that helps with cold cases by examing forensic genealogy. She helped with re-examining the evidence.
"Over Thanksgiving, I really went through everything. I reviewed everything cleaned up the trees and without realizing it I came up with the same answer when we got together and said wait a minute there's something here, that's when they went and got another DNA sample that was a match to the DNA at the crime scene, and the rest is history," Fitzpatrick said.
Investigators said an autopsy revealed Cobb died by strangulation.
Alexander is in jail under no bond.
If you have any information call the Surry County Sheriff’s Office at 336-401-8900.