(BIVN) – The Hawaiʻi Police Department announced on Monday that DNA evidence collected from the 1991 murder of 23-year-old Dana Ireland in the Kapoho-area of Hawaiʻi island has led to the identification of a new suspect: 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr., a resident of Hawaiian Paradise Park. 

News reports say Lauro killed himself before he could be arrested. 

Here is the full news release from the Hawaiʻi Police Department, issued prior to the press conference:

The Hawai‘i Police Department announces the identification of a suspect via DNA evidence in the 1991 murder of Dana Ireland. Age 23 at the time of her death, Ireland was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in the Kapoho area of Hawai‘i Island on December 24, 1991. She died the next day at the Hilo Medical Center.

“For 33 years, our Department has been resolute in investigating the Dana Ireland case,” said Hawai‘i Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz.

As part of the Hawai‘i Police Department’s investigation, several pieces of evidence were recovered, some of which contained DNA evidence. Specifically, DNA was recovered from a swab taken from Ireland’s body, from a sheet used to transport Ireland to the hospital, and from a t-shirt found at the scene. While it was analyzed at the time, there was no match in any DNA database, and the person whose DNA was found at the scene became known as “Unknown Male #1.”

In 2008, the DNA evidence was sent to the Forensic Analytical Crime Lab in California, where it remains today, as part of a cooperative agreement with the Innocence Project.

In the decades since Ireland was murdered, DNA technology has evolved significantly. Additional DNA evidence was collected from the t-shirt and found to match the other samples from the scene. In addition, experts are now able to take data from a DNA sample and build a family tree based on the known DNA from relatives. Earlier this year, an FBI agent from the Honolulu Field Office contacted police investigators with the names of some people who could potentially be identified as “Unknown Male #1.”

One of the names provided was that of 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr., who lived in the Kapoho area at the time of the murder. Based on that information, police investigators surveilled Lauro Jr., attempting to gather further evidence. In early July, they collected a utensil that he had been using after he discarded it. The DNA from the utensil was analyzed and found to be a match to “Unknown Male #1.”

While the DNA at the scene and from the victim certainly established probable cause that “Unknown Male #1” had committed the offense of rape, the statute of limitations for that charge ran out several years prior. The only remaining crime still within the statute of limitations was murder. Based on what the investigators knew at the time, there was not enough information to establish probable cause to arrest Lauro Jr. for murder.

Investigators obtained a court order to obtain a buccal swab from Lauro’s cheek as confirmation that the DNA taken directly from him matched the DNA collected at the crime scene 33 years earlier. On Friday, July 19, Lauro Jr. was asked to come to the station and talk with investigators. The encounter was consensual, and he was not in police custody at the time. After speaking with investigators, Lauro Jr. asked to leave and was allowed to do so after the court-ordered buccal swab was collected. The buccal swab was sent to Forensic Analytical Crime Lab in California along with a request to rush the analysis and return the results as soon as possible. Based on that analysis, the Hawai‘i Police Department can now confirm that the DNA collected at the crime scene matched Lauro Jr., a resident of Hawaiian Paradise Park.

“The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals from unwarranted search and seizure,” explained Chief Moszkowicz. “In order to obtain a search warrant, investigators would have to have established probable cause for the crime of murder and explained specifically what evidence it was seeking.”

“We remain focused on Dana Ireland, a young woman who was brutally murdered. There is still a lot about this case that we do not know and our investigation into this case continues to push forward. Our search for the truth is not over,” added Chief Moszkowicz.

Hawaiʻi County Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen issued this statement following the police news release:

“The Hawai‘i Police Department (“HPD”) has informed our Office that they intend to complete their investigation regarding Unknown Male #1 in the next two weeks. Our Victim Assistance Unit has been in contact with the Ireland family about these new developments. It is our hope that law enforcement’s continued investigation, the advancements in technology that weren’t previously available, and the identification of Unknown Male #1 will afford the Ireland family some sense of closure.

At this time, our Office has not reviewed any of the final police reports, documents, or evidence related to these most recent developments in this investigation.

Our Office takes conviction integrity seriously. With respect to Tuesday’s hearing, our Office has filed a motion to request a short continuance to allow HPD to complete their investigation and ensure that the Hawai‘i Innocence Project, our Office, and the Court is afforded an opportunity to review the entirety of HPD’s investigation regarding Unknown Male #1 prior to the Court rendering any decision.

We thank the public for their patience and understanding and also renew our request that if anyone has any information that can assist law enforcement, please contact HPD at (808) 961-2251.”

In 1999, three men were arrested and charged for the murder of Ireland: Albert Ian Schweitzer, his brother Shawn Schweitzer, and Frank Pauline.

Albert Ian Schweitzer spent over two decades in prison before his conviction was vacated in January 2023, thanks in part to the work of the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project. In October 2023, the conviction of his brother Shawn was also vacated.

Frank Pauline died in prison in April 2015.

Police say anyone with information on this case should contact Hawai‘i Police Department Area I Criminal Investigation Division Captain Rio Amon-Wilkins at (808) 961-2251 or via email at Rio.Amon-Wilkins@hawaiicounty.gov.