Summary
Overview
This episode tells the story of Carmen Van Huss, a 19-year-old woman brutally murdered in her Indianapolis apartment in 1993. After 31 years, the case was finally solved thanks to the relentless efforts of Sergeant Bill Carter, who worked the cold case despite departmental pushback. DNA evidence and genetic genealogy eventually led to the arrest and conviction of Dana Shepard, a former neighbor who pled guilty in 2026. Carmen's sister Pam successfully championed 'Carmen's Law' to expand DNA testing access in cold cases.
The Night of the Murder
On March 23, 1993, Carmen Van Huss was brutally attacked in her apartment at Turtle Creek Apartments in Indianapolis. For 30 harrowing minutes, neighbors heard her screaming 'get off me' but no one called 911 or checked on her. The next day, Carmen's father discovered her body after receiving a call from her friend about Carmen missing work. The attack was extraordinarily violent, with Carmen suffering 60 stab wounds to her head, face, body, and genitalia.
- Around 1 a.m., neighbors heard loud screams coming from Carmen's apartment 302A, with her crying 'get off me' for 30 minutes
- No neighbors called 911 during the attack - one only called apartment management to file a noise complaint
- Carmen's father found her body the next day after her friend reported she was a no-call, no-show for work
- Carmen suffered 60 stab wounds to her head, face, body, and genitalia - wounds to her head penetrated her skull
- The murder weapon, possibly a screwdriver or pocket knife, was never found
" Get off me. "
" I just heard a scream in the middle of the night. I turned over and went back to bed. That's all I know. "
Initial Investigation and Carmen's Life
Investigators immediately suspected Carmen knew her attacker based on no forced entry and evidence suggesting she may have shared a meal with someone. Carmen had a complicated upbringing, being raised by her aunt and uncle while maintaining relationships with both biological parents. At 19, she was finally getting her life together with a stable job at Pizza Hut, art school classes, and a boyfriend she loved, making her murder all the more tragic.
- No sign of forced entry; fast food cups and beer bottles suggested Carmen may have been eating with someone before the attack
- Neighbors heard Carmen come home around 11 p.m. with a man, laughing and talking as they walked to her door
- Carmen was sent to live with her aunt Gertie Schott at age three, becoming the youngest of eight children in that family
- Carmen had a complicated life straddling different households and lifestyles, leading to a need to be loved by everyone
- At time of death, Carmen was working at Pizza Hut, taking art classes, had her own apartment and a boyfriend of a year
" For a teenager bouncing back and forth between these different lives, it's a lot to navigate. And Pam says that this need to be loved by everyone, like Carmen carried it with her all her life. "
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