An Ohio man has been identified as the killer of an 18-year-old woman who was beaten to death with an oven grate in 1981.
James Vanest, aged 26 at the time, resided above Debra Lee Miller in a Mansfield apartment complex. tragically, he was fatally shot in November. The incident occurred after he barricaded himself in a hotel when authorities tried to serve him with an indictment relating to gun charges, as per The Associated Press.
Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann shared that the prosecutors were moving towards presenting the case to a grand jury. This decision came after a solid DNA match for Vanest was discovered. The case was revisited to leverage advancements in DNA technology.
While Vanest was questioned during the initial investigation into the murder, he was never officially considered a suspect. The inquiry faced complications due to allegations of potential police misconduct.
Miller’s death was one of several in the Mansfield area that was examined for possible links to city police officers. A special investigation determined no officers were tied to the deaths in 1989, but the report from that investigation raised questions about officers’ sexual involvement with Miller. The investigation prompted the retirement of the city police chief in 1990.
Police questioned Vanest again in November 2021, at which time he admitted lying to the original investigators. Bamman said the new investigators thought he might be trying to concoct an explanation for how his DNA was found in Miller’s apartment.
But when detectives sought another interview early last year, Vanest declined and requested an attorney. Then he abruptly sold his house, bought a truck and trailer, and fled to West Virginia.
But he left several firearms behind at the Ohio house, and when police stopped him in West Virginia, they found two more guns. He was arrested on state weapons charges and released on bond.
At that point, the federal Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Explosives indicted him on federal gun charges. On November 18, US Marshals and a local SWAT team tried to serve him with that indictment.
“It is our understanding that when confronted by Marshals and the Canton Regional SWAT team, Mr. Vanest pointed a gun at them and barricaded himself inside the hotel,” Bammann said. “After a short shootout, one Canton SWAT member was shot in the arm, and Mr. Vanest was fatally shot.”
Bamman said the department now considers the Miller case closed.
