Hey, good. How are you doing? I'm officer Hart with the Pensacola Police Department. Do you have your license on you by any chance? It looks just like another routine traffic stop. An officer pulls up beside a truck, introduces herself, and asks the driver for his license. Everything just seems pause casual. And at first, the man behind the wheel plays along. I mean, he's cooperative and overall like any other person. But this stop isn't random or some kind of coincidence. [music] because the secret he's been carrying since a New Year's Eve 35 years ago is about to catch up to him. >> OH, YOU DID. >> YOU CONTROL. You control. >> I do. I do. >> What starts as a routine stop slowly begins to shift. The officer approaches the vehicle and keeps things casual at first, asking the man to step out of the truck, mentioning something about ongoing infections, saying [music] it's easier to talk outside. >> Yeah, I tried to patrol. >> Thank you. registration. >> That's okay. Right now, um because of the virus and everything, do you mind talking to me outside? >> Okay, we'll just step right back here to Mark that way. You know, the contagion and all that kind of stuff. >> So, you said you were coming from uh work today. >> Yeah. Turn this gone on the road. >> And your license is valid and everything. Okay, good. And I guess the truck belongs to you, you said. Okay. >> There's no urgency raised voices. It's just like any other normal request. So yes, the man complies. As he steps out, he still seems calm, cooperative, even the kind of interaction that doesn't raise suspicion. But as he starts walking towards the patrol car, everything slowly changes. From seemingly nowhere, more officers and detectives begin to approach. Their tone is still [music] controlled, but their presence means something much more serious. Now it's no longer a casual conversation. The man identified as Daniel Leonard Wells also starts to notice. He looks around confused at first, then slightly uneasy. "What did I do?" he asks. But the officers don't answer directly. Instead, they tell him they'll explain everything back at the station. How you doing, Mr. >> How you doing, M? You're going to have to come with us. We're going to be bringing you down to the police station, have a conversation. These two officers will be taking me down there. >> Sir, we'll discuss it when we get down there, but you're going to have to get in the car with them. >> Let me get your keys for you. Yeah. >> No. >> And in that moment, you can see how things change for Daniel. He suddenly goes quiet. His posture changes from his confident hands to now shoulders slightly hunched and his movement slower, more guarded. As he's guided into the back of the patrol car, he doesn't resist. He just sits there in silence because deep down he may already know. After decades of running around, investigators had finally found their suspect. But how did he even end up here? Well, it all started 35 years ago. December 31st, 1984, Pensacola, Florida. For most people, it was a night of celebration. After all, every New Year's Eve is pretty much a way for everyone to have a fresh start. And for Tanya Ethridge McKinley, that couldn't have been more true. She was just weeks away from turning 24. And for the first time in a long time, her life was finally beginning to move forward. She had recently left behind an abusive relationship and was focused on becoming better. For herself, of course, [music] but also for her 18-month-old son. That night, she went out with friends to [music] celebrate, to enjoy the moment, and to take a step into the new chapter. But by the early hours of January 1st, 1985, something had gone terribly wrong. Because early the next morning, when a mother and daughter were on their way to take their sick dog to the vet, they saw something in the middle of the road. At first, it seemed like clothes left behind or an animal. But as they closed in, they realized that it was something much worse. Tanya's body was found along the side of a road near Peacock Drive and Kraton Road. She had [music] been strangled, sexually assaulted, and suffered severe blunt force trauma. Her body had been left partially unclothed, discarded in an empty area, as if someone had tried to erase what had happened. Nearby, investigators found her purse with her identification still inside, but the scene itself told a different story. There was no sign of a struggle where she was found, only faint drag marks with some blood across the ground. This led investigators to the conclusion that Tanya hadn't been killed there. She had been murdered somewhere else and her body had been dumped. In the days that followed, investigators worked quickly to piece together what had happened. They retraced Tanya's steps from that New Year's Eve night. They interviewed friends, spoke to the people at the bar she had visited, and tried to build a clear timeline of her final hours. But almost immediately, they ran into problems. There were gaps and missing moments that no one could account for. People who remembered seeing her, but not who she left with. At the same time, detectives began collecting whatever evidence they could from the scene and the victim herself. Biological samples, hair, fibers. They collected anything that might point them toward a suspect. And what they collected would later become critical DNA evidence. But in 1985, the technology simply wasn't there yet. They had the evidence, but not the ability to use it. And then there was the location. The area where Tanya's body was found was in the middle of streets arranged like a maze, not somewhere you'd end up by accident. To investigators, it suggested something important. Whoever left her there likely knew the area well enough to choose that exact spot, which then meant that this wasn't just a crime of opportunity, it was deliberate, planned, and despite interviewing potential suspects and following multiple leads. Pause. Nothing led to a clear answer. No arrests were made, and no one was charged. It seemed like they were provided the pieces of the puzzle, just not the way to put them together. As the months turned into years, the investigation slowly lost momentum. The leads dried up and witness memories faded away with time, and the urgency that once surrounded Tanya McKinley's case began to disappear. Despite multiple interviews and continued efforts, detectives were left with the same problem. Even though they had the evidence, there was no one to tie it to. By the late 1980s, the case had officially gone cold. And as the years [music] passed, it slowly turned into something different. It was a mystery that lingered over Pensacola. For over three decades, Tanya's case remained unsolved. One of the oldest cold cases in the area. Periodically, investigators would revisit the file, hoping that something had been missed. But every single time, pause. It just led to nowhere. Meanwhile, Tanya's family was left waiting. Still waiting for answers and for justice. Her young son grew up without her, forced to live with questions that no one could answer. And for 35 years, the person responsible walked free until something changed. Though decades later, by 2019, DNA technology had evolved far beyond what investigators had in 1985. What once seemed like useless evidence now had answers hidden inside. That's when detectives partnered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a private lab called Parabon Nanolabs using a method known as forensic genetic genealogy. And unlike traditional DNA testing, this time it wasn't about finding a direct match. It was about finding a family. Investigators uploaded the unknown DNA profile into public genealogy databases, searching for partial matches who could be distant relatives that shared small pieces of the same genetic code. At first, the matches were weak. third cousins, fourth cousins. But even that was enough. From there, genealogologists began building out massive family trees, working backwards through generations, mapping out relationships, branches, and connections. Slowly but surely, they started narrowing it down. They focused on families with ties to Pensacola in the 1980s. Then they filtered for men who were the right age at the time of the murder. Then those who had any history of violence or contact with law enforcement. With each step, the list got smaller, names were crossed off, and possibilities eliminated until eventually pause. One name kept resurfacing. A man who had lived in the area. His timeline matched, and he also had a history that raised questions. But investigators needed certainty to close a case like this, and they were about to get it. Once Daniel Leonard Wells was identified, investigators began taking a much closer look at his past. And almost immediately, things started to line up. Back in 1985, Wells had been living in Pensacola, not far from where Tanya McKinley had spent her final night. He was in the right place at the right time. It couldn't be a coincidence anymore. But more importantly, detectives began to uncover details that made him stand out from everyone else. His previous criminal record showed that Wells had a history of violent behavior, including multiple battery charges and incidents involving women. There were also reports of sexual misconduct. These were patterns that while not being the proof itself, did raise serious concern. Then came the connection. Through interviews and timeline reconstruction, [music] investigators believed it was highly likely that Wells had crossed paths with Tanya that night, possibly at one of the bars she had visited on New Year's Eve. It wasn't confirmed, but it did fit. The location, the timing, and the behavior, all of it pointed in one direction. But that wasn't enough because after 35 years, suspicion alone wouldn't hold up. They needed something perfect. And with Daniel at the center of the investigation now, pause. Detectives knew that they were close. But being close wasn't enough. They needed proof. So they began watching him and silently following him. For days, investigators followed Daniel, tracking his movements, observing his routine, waiting for the moment he would unknowingly give them what they needed. And then the opportunity finally came. At one point during surveillance, Daniel stepped out, paused briefly, and discarded a cigarette. To anyone else, it meant nothing. But to investigators, it was everything because that small cigarette butt carried his DNA. So that's when investigators moved in. They recovered it immediately and sent it for testing, comparing it to the DNA collected from Tanya McKinley's body back in 1985. And this time, there was no limitation of technology and no uncertainty. So they immediately filed for the test. All they had was a clear, undeniable answer. The results came back as a match. After 35 years, the same DNA that had once sat unusable in evidence now pointed directly to one man, Daniel Leonard Wells. The wait was finally over, and the questions finally had an answer. After 35 years of running around, they finally had their suspect. Let me get these cuffs off your >> son. >> Just when this door opens, just hang >> or anything. >> No, I'm fine. Thanks. All right, we'll be right back with you. So, all right. >> [snorts] >> During the initial phase of questioning, [music] Daniel maintained that he did not know Tanya McKinley. >> Was that right after high school? >> For a couple of years. I was probably 19 or 20. >> Okay. How long did you live there? >> Oh, about probably three years. Four years. Three years. time about 22 23ish was about 24 25. >> Where'd you go after that? >> Uh on Cervantes across the street from it was on a couple houses down from 12th Avenue. >> So about >> Yeah. Where that >> Yeah. >> So you stay downtown the city. >> So how long you lived there? >> Three years. four years. >> So now we're talking about like >> we're ninth in the lead till about 24. >> So that would have been what about six years after you graduate. So now we're something like 1987ish. >> Yeah. That's when I moved to >> So you lived in >> city and then Lee. >> Mhm. >> And then 120. How long did you live there? >> Uh I guess like about three years, three or four years. >> So now we're talking right around >> 1990ish. No, I was in Kansas City in 80s and 87 88. >> So it was before that, >> right? >> I graduated in ' 81 and I was here till I was 26 or 27 years old. >> It was 87ish. Moved up to Kansas City and you stayed up there. until you came back >> in 2009. >> Why'd you come back? >> I just wanted to move home. I got divorced and get tired of the cold weather. Just want to come home, be closer to my parents, my mom, >> but she's passed since. So, she passed like two years ago. >> I'm sorry. >> Um, so you say you're divorced >> up there. >> When did you get married? I got married in 2004. >> She up there. >> You met her up there. >> This is one marriage. >> Yeah, it's my second marriage. Our first marriage was in 90 93 because Morgan was born in 94. Yeah. 95. >> But that was so that was >> and that lasted till like 98. I was married for like six years. And that was also up there. >> Was your wife then from up there also? >> Okay. >> So you've been met both your wives up there, >> right? >> You said you had one child. >> One son. >> One son. Morgan son. >> So how old is he now? >> He's 24. >> Where's He's in Phoenix, Arizona. >> Phoenix. >> So basically you got divorced, son's grown. He's moved to Arizona. >> Yeah. >> So, you the Kansas City guy by yourself? >> Uh, yeah. The latter part of the last couple of years. >> Even when the investigators showed him photographs of her, he repeatedly stated that he had never seen her before and had no interaction with her on the night of the incident. >> And his sister that was over on a bike to her parents house. >> May you stay with them? >> No. Yeah, John and I were friends. And >> when you would go out and rent a house >> New Year's Eve because you're a young guy, >> would you be out like looking for for anybody like company or woman or anything like that? >> No. Usually I was with a group of friends >> or whatever. >> Ever get lucky? >> Yeah, I get lucky. Oh, man. Yeah. Back in those days. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. But I was usually out like ch, you know. Um, >> were you averse to like one night stands >> occasionally? Yeah. >> Normally, you'd meet somebody and, you know, get to know them. >> Well, most guys are not said. If you know, you're at a bar and and you have a conversation with a girl and she's willing, you're not going to turn it down, >> right? >> Yeah. >> Girls might, but guys usually don't. And so, >> yeah, I had a few one night stands. Halloween. I can remember that was out at that was out at um Kevin. We used to you could rent hotel rooms for winter rates or whatever. I was working guess I was working out at Woodcraft there too. >> So that'll get you closer to that >> for a week or two you know with a couple friends we've been a place or whatever. still don't remember Elmrest. >> I don't remember the the address doesn't sound familiar. I mean, the name I uh I don't I just trying to think with the >> John Pender and I had a little >> Let me show you again. >> Okay. >> I mean, this was she would have looked like if she had gone out. >> Yeah. I don't know her. >> Don't know her at all. had contact with. >> Never have any idea what we're talking about yet? >> No, I don't >> I don't know what >> I don't have any idea what you're talking about. >> All right, let's cut the chase. So, that young lady I showed you a picture of, >> right? >> New Year's Eve 1984 going 1985. January 1st, early morning 1985. Okay. >> Was found dead on the side of a road. And I have the evidence that you're the one that's there. >> I have irrefutable evidence that you're there. >> I am not doing all this on a guess. >> I don't know. >> On a hunch. >> Damn. >> Yeah. >> Tony, you're there. I wasn't there. >> Do you watch TV some? >> Yeah. >> Watch any kind of crime shows or just news stories about crime or stuff like that? Cool case files, anything like that? >> No. >> You know about DNA? >> Yeah. >> DNA is actually just as positive with more not more positive fingerprints, >> right? So I can prove to literally one in 700 billion chances you were there. >> That's where we're at. I'm not asking you, >> right? >> Okay. We're not asking you if you're there. Honestly, >> I don't I mean I It doesn't work. >> 35 years. >> It's been 35 years. This is the first time you've probably talked to the police about this. I'm sure of that. >> Yeah. >> Right. Have you noticed anything unusual for the last couple weeks? >> No. >> Nobody around you looked unusual. Seen a bunch of police cars for no reason? Nothing like that? >> Felt like somebody was following you? >> No. >> No. Only happened. >> The thing is is that your DNA is at this site right on this person. >> It is. It has nobody else's except yours. There there's there's no other explanation, right? It can't be a possibility. Somebody else's DNA. Your DNA >> is at this scene. >> Dan, I get this is this is your life. This is probably freaking you out a little bit. >> I just >> Right. But but listen to me. There's there's a story here, right? and either you can choose to give that story about what happened, the chain of events that led to what ultimately happened as to why we're here. >> However, as investigators presented verified evidence, his account began to shift. >> Somehow, we'll find out that you're responsible for her death. We already know that you are. >> No way. Just listen. Right. >> This has been 35 years ago, right? This has been 35 years that you haven't had to face this, right? And and all of a sudden, one day you're at work, you run your workday, everything's fine, you're on your way home, all a sudden you get pulled over an hour later in this room and we're telling you this. It's a shock and totally normal human behavior to be defensive about. Nobody wants to admit. Much like you sat there for a while and didn't want to admit that you had exposed yourself and masturbated women. We had to go through this whole process where you're like, "Nope, no. Oh, well, yeah. Well, I did a little bit while I was peeing and she said something, then I said something. That was it. Oh, wait. No, there was another time." We went through that whole process with you. Right. >> Right. We're starting it over again, but we're going to end up in the same place because we're not here by accident. I I'm I'm being honest with you. I don't really like playing games, right? We've been doing this way too long and and I'm going to give you the information that you deserve to have, right? so that you can make the right decision and and tell your side of the story because I'm telling you saying that you weren't there does not work. I can prove you were there. The the question the unknown is how it happened. What precipitated it? What were all the dynamics going on that led to that end result? >> I I can't answer that. You not being there is not an acceptable answer because the evidence, the DNA proves you were there without a doubt. >> This this is going to make your world spin, right? >> I just it it just blows me away that I mean I don't I don't understand. I'm really confused. Well, Well, maybe >> I'm a little bit confused, too. Um, >> no, I mean, I don't know her >> and I I've never heard anybody. >> I can believe you don't know her. Maybe you didn't know her beforehand. >> But I don't understand why unless >> you knew her that night. >> You knew her >> very well. I don't I I don't know if I'm saying I don't I don't >> I'll paint a little bit of this picture for you here. Okay. >> I mean, I've been >> So, I've asked you about Elmrest. >> Right. >> Right. >> Okay. >> And so, you're like, I I don't I don't know why >> the address says >> I don't know why I said Elmrest. I don't I have no idea. I've got this totally there's a blank hole here. Well, I don't understand why in 1985 I would have told the police that I lived on Elmrest. I have no idea. That's what you're going to say. The problem is Elmrest is like a half a mile away from where this happened. I don't consider that a coincidence. So now you don't remember living half a mile away or given an address a half a mile away from where this happened. And now even though I am telling you just like I told you you you told the police down there you you live on Elmrest. >> And now I'm telling you the DNA proves that you were there and your says I I don't remember. I I don't know. And That's really not going to work for you because this the scene, the evidence we have at the scene paints a very ugly picture. This was not gentle. This is not an accident. and and if you're going to let the evidence tell the story, it paints a very ugly picture. Your opportunity is to soften that because we understand there are other dynamics that go on. We're open to the fact because we've heard it time and time again. We don't go into anything with a closed mind because there's been too many times we go in thinking one thing and we walk out thinking something totally different because then we hear the other side of the story. That's how we operate from experience. But I'm going be honest with you, right? That's all I can do with you. My profession forces me to be honest. So I can be honest with you that the evidence tells me you were there. What it doesn't say is how everything happened. And then there's also the concern if there's other things going on just like you're like >> first. He acknowledged that he may have been in the same general area that night. Under further questioning about his movements, he stated that he had offered Tanya a ride. According to his statement, this interaction was initially consensual and did not involve any prior connection between them. car stops and blacks all traffic right behind you. Remember seeing that? >> Mhm. >> Do you know what you did just before that? >> You threw your cigarette butt out the window and I was in that police car. >> There's two FDA agents right behind you. >> And we picked up that cigarette butt and we submitted and came back as a match. So, we know that you were at the scene. That's That's not a debatable fact. >> I'm just >> Yeah, you're blown away. Well, it's just I don't I know someone I had sex with or or what, but I just I I don't I have never heard anybody that's is what I'm saying. This just is blowing me away. >> There's there's a couple different ways to look at it. And and the thing is this is why your input in this is critical, right? There's a way to look at this coupled with certain facts about your history. >> All right? And just follow me on this. There's going to be people that can conclude certain things about what happened if your input isn't shared. That's why we want your input. It's not difficult to come to a conclusion based upon what happened in Brownsville with the prostitution thing with what happened in St. Louis, specifically in St. Louis, >> Kansas City >> or Kansas City, I'm sorry. So, you pull up in a truck, you see an attractive woman, you call that person over to you, lure them, if you will, to engage in a sexual act. It's not a leap. When you look at what happened here, the people to go, well, now we know what happened. He lured this person to his vehicle. He engaged in a sexual act and took them. Okay? There's certain types of people that have done that in the past and people have read about it and watched movies about it all that stuff. So people are going to fantasize about this idea, this notion about you to illustrate one Ted Bundy. That's what he would do, right? So I'm not saying that you're Ted Bundy, but if you don't involve yourself in this process for I've never forced >> Do you see you understand what I'm laying out? how people could come to that conclusion >> like because you've already lured women for sexual gratification without knowing them strange women right >> for your gratification >> and yet in this case this one gets taken now the circumstances of that you would have input with >> yeah but I didn't take anybody >> so on New Year's Eve 1984 to 1985 >> I Explain to me then, Dan. Explain to me how your DNA ends up with this girl. >> I have unless unless it was I had sex with her or something. I don't know. A one night stand or something like that. But but after that, I don't you know have any rec recol of anything. >> Why would you not have I mean you lived in the area during this time, right? >> I guess I did. I don't know. >> 1995. I mean, you right. >> This was a pretty big deal back then. >> A lot. It's on the news. >> I don't remember it. >> So, how >> I mean, I just I'm I'm just >> How can your DNA end up with her? >> Unless we had sex. That's the only reason that's I don't know. >> I'm not asking unless I'm not asking you to theorize. I'm asking you to tell me because you were there. How did your DNA end up with her? I was with her, I guess. >> I was with her, >> I guess. And I don't I'm not trying to >> Well, I don't remember her. I don't remember the name. The face means I don't remember her. >> Yeah. >> But if you're drinking and out partying or something like that, I mean, it happened pretty regularly. So would you think like we talked about earlier that there's after 35 years there's lots of things that are kind of vague in memories except for the specific life events like in 1986 right 1985 when space shuttle blew up I know exactly where I was standing when I heard it because that's a significant event in my life right >> so you got significant events in your life that you remember exactly where you were >> right >> what you were doing when they happened >> don't you think that if you had sex with a girl, you were out partying New Year's Eve, you met a girl, you picked her up, you're in the car, right? You had sex with her, and then the next morning on the news, you find out she's dead. You'd remember that. >> I would. Yeah. Yeah, I would remember it. >> So, that's the most >> I mean, I don't know. It's like I don't know. >> That's the most innocent scenario I can give you, >> right? I don't. >> Do you think there was a time that you were I mean back then were you drinking so much that >> you remember? I don't forget. I mean I've got a good memory. >> Right. So you remember if you had sex with a girl the next day she was on a newspaper day. >> If >> even if you didn't know who she was, >> you'd remember the next day when they put her picture in the paper two days later. Oh my god. I was just I was sex with her two nights ago in New Jersey. >> I guess I would remember if I'd seen it. >> I'm just I'm just trying to throw some logical stuff there, Dan. I'm trying to help you out here because I'm telling you, >> the picture that this evidence paints is not one that you want to go out there without an explanation. There's room there to mitigate some of that evidence, right? There's room there to make it look better. than it looks right now. >> It looks horrible. But I can't fill in the blanks for you, >> right? >> I wasn't there. I was a junior in high school. And I was in Key West, Florida. I wasn't even here. So, I can't fill in those blanks. You're the only one Your son's in Arizona, 24 now. Stay in contact with him all the time. >> Very good. That's hard to do sometimes. I got a son that's in the Air Force. Spent two years in Japan. Now he's in Beluxy, which is two and a half hours down the road. We have a good relationship, but we might not talk for two months, right? There's times he does that we're like, "Hey, are you you're just a couple hours down the road? Are you are you gonna come by visit sometime?" Because it's easy to lose that when there's a distance. But you and Morgan still have a good relationship. >> Yes. Great relationship. >> Can you ever come here and visit? >> When was the last time you came here and visited? >> About a year ago. >> Did you ever go out there visit? >> Been there since he's been there. He moved there from Kansas City. And >> does his mom live out there? >> She moved out there. Yeah. >> Okay. So, we're not really talking so much you haven't had a great relationship with your sisters for the last several years. Your mom and dad have passed, >> right? >> You got an ex-wife, right? >> Do you have a relationship with her or is it just like >> she calls? >> Does she call you? Is it about Morgan or is it just >> Yeah. Well, I talked to Well, I've got a great relationship with his with his mother. >> My second wife. She would call. >> That's good. >> Check me. see how I'm doing. >> That's That's good. That's healthy. >> That's probably helped keep you level the last several years, >> right? That that you and her can have relationships so Morgan can grow up and not feel some of the same things that you kind of mentioned about your parents. >> I've always had a good relationship with with my ex-wife, with his mother and even my my second wife, you know. >> So what I don't think I don't my only knowing you is the last hour or so that we have spent in here, right? Um I haven't known you before this. But you don't seem like a coldarted person. >> I'm not. I mean I don't. >> So well so I would think it it it appears to me that you care what people think about you. Yeah. >> That's why you're embarrassed about >> Not really. >> I mean to to a certain extent. I mean, I think we're all like, I'm not going to change who I am to satisfy people. But your image to Morgan, especially, what you do, how you look to Morgan is important because you're a good father, >> right? And you want to be a good father to him so that he grows up and is a better person than you are, right? >> I think that's all our goals as parents. My kids, I want them to grow up be a better person than I am. >> And I'm sure that's what you want. feel like you're the type of person that would want that from Morgan. >> Oh, sure. Yeah. >> I'm telling you very near future, right? When the story comes out and the details of this come out, if it goes out without explanation of what happened, right? Your story of [music] what happened. It is going to be clear to Morgan that you're responsible. And without an explanation on how it got to that point, he is going to be left to fill in those blanks just like we are. Something happened out of the ordinary. I don't think this was an ordinary. [music] I don't think this is something that happened to you a bunch of times. Something happened that night that let everything slide downhill. >> No, >> but you're the only one that can say it, Dan. >> I can't. I mean, I would I'm right back where I was. I don't I don't recognize her. I don't remember being with anybody on that on the evening of uh was it New Year's you said? I don't I don't know. But it very well could have happened. You know, I could have been with her and had sex or something, but I was with several friends. We we would go out and stuff like that, you know. I mean there would be a group of us, >> but I mean sometimes we' get I mean I can remember being at the beach and stuff and you just go in the parking lot and you'd have sex [snorts] and then you go back in the bar and two or three hours later you'd go home or something, you know? >> Universal parking lot. A lot of people used to use that parking lot because there's a huge parking lot, lots of dark corners, >> right? >> You ever use that place to have sex? No. Never had sex there. >> Not in the parking lot. No. >> But at the beach you would. Uh, well, not actually in the parking lot, but on the beach. >> On the beach. >> Yeah. >> And pick anybody up from around University? >> No. >> Would it be Chands or the other bars up there? Penigans? >> Not that I can I can remember. >> I mean, seriously, I mean, I I don't I'm being totally honest with you. Yeah, >> because you've always said back then you weren't doing the heavy heavy, you know, stupid drinking. >> No. >> Right. So that would that would not be affecting your memory of remember what happened. You have a great memory, you said. >> Right. >> Right. >> So you're not being honest because I have I can't believe that you had a night where you had sex with a girl who ended up dead and you don't remember it. I don't remember anybody being I don't even remember this the story about her that you told me. >> I'm telling you, you have to remember because you were there. Your DNA is there. There is no saying you weren't there. >> I've seen a bunch of reports. Yours is one in 700 billion. >> It is you [music] that is there. Your DNA is on her and it's at the scene. So, you were not only with her, but you were there, too. I want to help you get through this, Dan. Because there's there's there's no avoiding it anymore. 35 years. It is here in front of you now. >> Right. >> You've you've avoided this day for 35 years. You have two options. Either you've been a spray to this day coming for 35 years. You're wondering when you're going to get that knock at your door when all this caught up to you. Or you really don't care. >> And I don't I don't get that. You're not a caring person. >> I'm a very caring person. >> Back in 85, the things that you left there that belong to you, people weren't thinking of in the future they're going to be able to catch me because of this. Well, happened, right? And people have known about it now for 25 years. DNA has caught hundreds and hundreds, thousands of people, and it's caught up to them just like it just caught up to you. These are facts that we're dealing with. You're not here accidentally. You have a choice as to how this impacts you, right? You can share your story about the sequence of events that led to the ultimate end of this. If you don't choose to do that and you don't paint that picture, you're leaving other people to do that for you and it's not flattering. Somebody who may not be an angel, right, who may have some involvement in the outcome of their demise, right? They can't say what happened, but all they're going to see is this single mother of an 18-month-old son that was murdered and they're going to see that you're responsible for it. Okay? How that happened and the chain events that led to that, you know the answers. And it may be terrible. And if it's terrible and you went there just like the picture that I painted that you lured this girl, you knocked her out, you dragged her in your car, and you went over here to the blue spot and he murdered her. >> Questioning continued and additional details were introduced, particularly inconsistencies in his timeline. His version of events changed again. He then stated that the interaction escalated beyond just a ride and involved contact. He described it as consensual at first, but admitted that the situation became more complicated afterward. When investigators pressed further regarding the circumstances surrounding Tanya's death, his explanation shifted again. He stated that when Tanya refused further contact, he became angry. At this point, he admitted to striking her with a blunt object like a cutting board, followed by having sexual contact in her unconscious state and then strangling her, which resulted in her injuries and death. But you don't want to control this. >> But it's >> you control the narrative on this. >> Yeah, I was I was with her and stuff, but I didn't give her a ride home and there was a group of us. Oh god. Because I guess she lived over in Santa Rosa County or something. But um Bobby Hicks and a guy named Ralph James, they were with me. There was a group of people that I went to school with that were that were there. And uh we did have sex in the parking lot. And other than that, well, no, actually it was at the house, I guess, too. That's where that's where um John Penderg live. >> Is that the house on Hillrest? >> I guess. Yeah, that must have been the address. I don't recall, >> but I would stay with him every now and then. >> Was he out with you that night? I know he was those are the guys there they were and came by the house and they left with her. >> So tell us what happened. >> I just I had sex with her. >> Where' you meet? >> Uh I guess I'm at one of those bars. I don't remember the name of the bar, but it was >> where >> that um University Mall. I don't know. >> Was it Chance? Wait, >> it wasn't at Chance. No, I can't remember. It was It was some It was one of those bars. It wasn't Chance. >> Was it a restaurant? >> I can't recall if it was restaurant and a bar. Yeah. >> So, be very careful. Okay. Because like we said before, you're you're trying to you're minimizing and I understand that you're doing a lot of I guesses. I I think when in reality, you know, >> right? Right. I can already tell by the way you're acting that you almost feel relieved that you're telling some of this stuff because it's been bothering you. We hit that 35 years. You've been waiting for this day and it's here now, >> right? And it's hard, but you're going to get it off your chest, but you got to do it the right way, which is you remember the details. >> Yeah. >> So, just tell us what happened. Tell us the details of what happened and then we'll work through you with >> a while. >> Don't create details. Just >> I'm not I'm not I'm just I'm just >> You don't I mean you don't have to go back and remember this. It's still there. >> See? So when you're thinking you're trying to think of the best way to present it so that it it looks great for you >> and >> no it doesn't look great. It's >> but you're trying to soften it and I understand that and we recognize that because we've done this for a very long time. But this is not the time to do that. you know, telling your wife while while you were late, you know, that night maybe you went out drinking with your buddies or something, that's the time to try to soften it up. Well, you know, this and that. This is not the time to do that because those details are still very bright in your mind because this is one of those defining moments in your life. The guy that the circumstances happened to him, this guy over here, at some point he's got to stop lying. >> The monster keeps lying. He's going to throw [ __ ] out there and you're going to try and throw [ __ ] at us. I get that. That happens all the time. It has to stop. I don't care if you've told us something that's not true. It doesn't reflect on what we're doing as long as we get to what actually happened, right? We've been through this hundreds of times with people. You've only been through this one time, right? You're at a disadvantage as far as that goes. We know what you're doing and how you're thinking. and we've seen it thousands of times, right? You have some ability to craft your outcome, but you've got to be honest about what took place, right? You want people to understand what happened if it's not if you're not that monster. You've got to explain your part in this. The thing is, like I've told you, we ask questions we know answers to. We have evidence. Not only your DNA, we have other evidence, right? So when you tell your story and we can counter it with evidence, it shows that you're not being honest, which reflects badly on you. >> Don't worry, we're going to call you out on it. So the best thing to do is just start at the beginning. tell the truth exactly what happened because every time you think you say I guess or I think it makes me it tells me that you're not being totally honest about that moment of the story but there there's no escape now except for the truth >> right start at the beginning >> well she just I remember she her friends had left her and she wanted a ride Um, and but we went by my went by my house and we had a few drinks and stuff and it just it just escalated from from from that. She um I just I think I hit her in the head and it knocked her out and it it was a traumatic blow and it killed her. >> What happened that made it get out of control? >> I I think we just got kind of argument over something. I can't remember what it was. >> Was it about having sex? >> No. No. She was willing to >> then Ralph and those guys, they stopped by for a while and they they left. And uh >> Were you having sex with her? >> I had before. Yeah. >> And then she tried to withdraw it and that's what led to it. It's like in the middle of it that she'd want to stop. >> No, we had we had consensual sex and stuff and then I just >> What happened make things get out of hand though? >> I just wasn't something she said. >> I don't know. >> I mean, can we be real here? Did she like comment on your sexual performance or something? No, it was it was just it was Yeah, it was but it was >> just you want to leave and you didn't want to leave yet. >> I'm >> something like that. I I don't I don't remember. >> Here we go again. We're trying to We're trying to keep I can't remember. I just noticed. >> But you're the one that was there, >> right? >> Something simple. >> You said you hit her in the head. >> Yeah. >> What' you hit her in the head with? >> Uh I think it was a cutting board. >> A cutting board. >> Yeah, like a wooden block. wooden block cutting board >> at your house. >> The one on Elcrest? >> Yeah. >> So, you were just staying up there with pentagramraphs cuz that's where this happened back. >> Was anyone else there? >> They I mean earlier there were some guys there, but then >> it was later on in the evening and stuff like that. So Bobby and Ralph came over there while you were there with her. >> Had you already had sex with her then? >> Yeah, once. >> Once. >> And then Yeah. >> So then they came over, they hung out for a little bit with y'all, have some drinks. >> And then they left, >> right? And then >> so we got kind of into a little bit of an argument or whatever and from drinking and stuff. It just kind of got out of hand. >> So I'm thinking cutting board. You're in the kitchen arguing. >> I was standing in the kitchen and she was >> six, right? >> Right. >> And you said once. So there was a second time. Was it after you hit her? Uh, yes it was. >> So you hit her. >> You said it was a fatal blow. She was unconscious at least. >> So then you had sex with her a second time while she was >> Well, not really sex, but I mean I didn't. >> We had sex. Then it was like I was couldn't believe what had happened and I couldn't get her to respond. >> So you stop. >> So what you do then? I think I just took her down the road. >> You think >> I took her down the road? >> In what? >> And my in my vehicle. >> Which vehicle? >> I don't know what I was driving in. I think it was my fort. I think it was my truck. >> This is the same 150 that you got the ticket in. It's not for >> I don't know if I had that truck down there. That was a coffee truck. Okay. So, you think he had a pickup truck? >> Yeah. >> Where'd you put it? >> Uh, just on the side of the road. >> I mean, in the truck bed, passenger seat. >> Did she wake up though? >> When did I checked her bolts and all that stuff and I was just freaked out. >> Before or after you you left her body? >> Before. >> How did you eventually kill her? I think just strangulation and I don't know. We just were getting into it. We had a big fight. >> Okay. Where did you Where was she at when you strangle her? Was it on the place where you brought her to or was it at the house? >> Was at the house. >> What you use? my hands. >> Now, you said that you had sex with her a second time after she was hurt. >> No, I didn't. I >> I'm just trying to piece together, >> right? We were going we were going to have sex. We were again and we just we didn't and we kind of got into it a little bit. >> So, it was over one. >> She slapped me and I just and so I was just I don't know. I was just pissed and I hit her with it. There's indications that that the sex would have happened after she's unconscious, too. >> So, did you have sex with her after you hit her? >> You said yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> I guess. Yeah. >> So, she wasn't a willing participant in that, but that's what the argument was about that led to that >> second time. >> But then you realized she really wasn't conscious, right? >> And it's like, oh my god. >> So, you kind of lost interest at that point, >> which was kind of normal. >> Yeah. So, I mean, it kind of make me think that maybe the argument was that you want to have sex again. She didn't want to. >> That led to the argument that led to her slapping you, that led to you hitting her head and then you had sex with her again. >> Did strangulation occur after that sex or before? >> Before. >> Yeah. So, hit her in the head, she goes out, >> you strangle her, >> right? And then you have sex with her again. At least partially. You you try >> you're trying to have sex with her again. You realize, oh [ __ ] she's really hurt. >> Yeah. >> Take her out. You put her in a truck. You drive around >> and push her out and dump her on the side of the road. >> Yeah. >> Like a bag of trash. >> How about her? >> Does she have any other belongings with her? She have a purse, >> I think. I don't know. She has a purse on. She might have >> shoes. >> I'm sure. >> What'd you do with those? >> I don't know. I don't know. >> I don't remember. When you had sex with her at the house on the crest the second time, was it all in the kitchen where the cutting board was or did you bring her back into the bedroom? >> I think it was back in the bedroom. >> What' you do about the blood >> in the house? I mean, you cracked her in the head. She hit her with your hand just tried to clean up. Was your buddy Pentagrass at his house? He wasn't there then. Or was he? >> Out. I guess he out for the night. >> He's still out for the night. >> What time frame do you think you're talking about now? >> Early morning. I would say >> like 1:00 or something. I can't. I mean, it was New Year's Eve. >> Where had you been before that? I couldn't tell you. >> You just ended up at the restaurant, right? >> University mall there by yourself. >> There's a group of people there that were that were >> Who else was this guy named Ralph James? >> Ralph James. >> And Bobby? >> Yeah. And Bobby Hicks. >> They were both at the bar where you met this girl. >> They were They were there. Yeah, I saw him there. Do you ever tell me what happened? >> They came back by the house after you took her home. Then they stopped by before the fight happened and then they left. >> You don't want to have sex a second time. There's an argument afterwards. They did they see this? >> No, they were gone. >> But did they see this in the paper and go to you? >> I've never heard anything about it from them. >> What you saw in the paper? What happened? I mean, you hadn't been looking for it. >> You looked. >> Yeah. >> I just saw it and I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. >> How was your life in the months leading after this? >> Not good. >> Were you freaking out the whole time? >> I was Yeah. Did you ever run away after >> Did you ever want to tell yourself? >> Yeah. Numerous times. There was somebody that actually made a phone call that was trying to take responsibility for this, right? They couldn't get it all out. It seemed like they were struggling. Do you remember making a phone call to somebody? >> No. >> Not about this? >> No. >> Writing a letter or anything? >> Never. >> Did you ever tell me anything? >> Never. Never. I've always kept it to myself. and just in denial and just unbelievable because I am I don't I sometimes I would think that it was just like a dream or something because I would never I've never hurt anybody before. I mean even growing up fighting in school and stuff like that it's just not my nature. I come from a great background family. >> What was different? >> I don't know. I have no idea. It was it was It could have been. It could have been alcohol. Could have been cocaine, too. Those were cocaine. Those were cocaine days back in, you know. Yeah. Coke >> for about a for about a year off and on. And it was about that period, a year, maybe a couple years. The guy that I rented the house from over on Cervantes in 12. He's in that Suzie Lisa that I lived with that they got me and turned me on to it. When I first started doing it, I knew it was bad when I when I did it, you know, it was just bad stuff and it alters your >> sex drive and everything, I guess. And it's like >> aggressive. >> Well, I was this I was never aggressive about it. It's just one night and I just don't I I just don't understand it. >> I can believe you, right? It's the truth. That is 100% truth. >> I I can believe that you are not normally an aggressive violent guy. >> But that's why I'm asking what happened that night that said it all. >> I couldn't >> I'm trying to think of what she could have said or done except slap you. >> Yeah. >> That invoked that response from you. >> And then for you to do the things that you did afterwards. >> Well, yeah. I aggressively, you know, I I hit her and I just wanting to hurt her or anything, but but I hit her and I realized I really I had hurt her bad and I knew she was it was >> she was but then it's like I just wanted to be over with and I realized what have I done? >> Was it a particular type of sex [music] that you wanted to have? She was >> No, it was it was straight sex. It was just that and then cocaine and drinking. In the autopsy, they found indications of anal sex on top of vaginal sex. So, was it possible that >> I don't recall that? I don't. >> That's not something you would be into or >> No. >> So, what we're saying is you had sex with her was consensual. >> Afterwards, there's a fight. And so, I mean, was there a fight fight? >> Was there a struggle? And then at the end of it, she's got several injuries that don't indicate it's like a quick I'm arguing when I slap you, I get hit in the head. >> Yeah. No, I just remember hitting her over the head and >> and then >> as far and and then the strangulation that's as far as any violence >> with your hands. >> Is there some indications that there was it wasn't your hands? Hands kind of leave a distinct mark. Then I can't I just because it's been a long time. >> Yeah. Significant moment. >> But I don't I don't remember but I have put this out of my >> Yeah. >> I don't know if I used a belt or something maybe. I don't know what I don't know. >> So what are just tell me right now? We'll work on this some more. We're really good at memory recall stuff. So at this moment what do you remember for sure? I just remember having sex with her, doing a little more partying and and getting into it a little bit, and she was ready to go and and uh I was going to give her a ride back over to Avalon or wherever she was from where she lived. and she uh she wasn't responding quick enough or whatever. I remember I remember she hit me and and it just I just retaliated. I was had that cutting board in my hand and I just hit her on top of the head and she went down on the ground. >> Then you did just help her. >> Yeah. which you're not really sure how. >> No, I can't remember. I just was with my hands or something. I don't remember. >> And then is that when you brought her back into the bedroom >> or she already there when you strangled her? >> Yeah, that's where I dragged her back in there. >> Then you tried to have sex with her again. >> So I just strangled her. Yeah. I realized I just wanted to wanted to be over. You put her in your truck, >> drove her around, put her out. >> Did you drop anything else out there with her? >> I don't remember. >> Is this where I might be able to fill in some blanks with you, but >> I don't listen. So, I got I don't want to put any words in your mouth. Okay. >> Okay. >> I'm going to tell you some things that are known. >> Okay. >> All right. And and then see if that jogs your memory. Okay. So, next to her body there's a towel. Okay. >> Do you remember that? >> No. >> It's a bath towel. It's got her blood on it and it's got DNA from you on it. >> I don't I don't remember. Don't >> come from that house to being dropped out. Throughout the interrogation, Daniel kept confessing, then say that he didn't remember, and also repeatedly insisted that his behavior during this case was not consistent with who he truly was. He stated multiple times that he normally would never hurt someone, and that he did not consider himself the type of person even capable of such an act. >> As to why you're not explaining it, >> I don't understand. I mean, I would never I have never hurt anybody in my life. That's what's I mean it I I've had one night stands and stuff before, but it's it's like >> Have you had a one night stand with her before? >> No, I don't know her. I telling you, I do I cannot recognize her. I don't >> By the end of the questioning, his initial complete denial had evolved into an admission and confession of everything he did, including acknowledgement of physical violence that led to Tanya McKinley's death. Following his arrest in March 2020, Daniel Leonard Wells was formerally charged with first-degree murder and firstdegree battery in connection with the 1985 killing of Tanya McKinley in the Florida panhandle. The case against him was built on years of forensic evidence, later strengthened by modern genetic genealogy, which linked him to the DNA originally recovered at the crime scene. Combined with his own statements during interrogation and the cigarette DNA match, investigators were able to reconstruct his involvement in the crime. Daniel, 57 at the time of his arrest, was being held at the Escambia County Jail while awaiting his first court hearing, which had been scheduled for April 8th. However, before the legal proceedings could begin, authorities reported that he was found dead in his cell in early March 2020 in an apparent side. His death did mean that the case would never reach a full courtroom trial, leaving the legal process incomplete. However, for Tanya McKinley's family and investigators, the years of search had already reached its conclusion. The identity of the suspect had been confirmed, and the truth behind the crime had finally been uncovered after years of uncertainty and anxiety. After 35 years of collecting dust on the file, science helped uncover a truth that had stayed buried for decades. But it also leaves us with questions that are difficult to answer. But what do you think? Is justice still served if a suspect dies before trial? And how far should we go in using DNA technology to solve cold cases from the past? Let me know what you think.