57 Year Old Man Has No Idea His DNA Just Connected Him to A 1985 Murder... 210,218 views Feb 18, 2026 TCD Podcast #TCD #truecrimedocumentary In 1985, 23-year-old Tonya McKinley was found strangled and sexually assaulted on the side of a Pensacola road on New Year's Day. For 35 years, her killer walked free — until one discarded cigarette changed everything. Using genetic genealogy and familial DNA testing, detectives built a family tree from scratch, tracked down 57-year-old Daniel Wells, and confirmed he was the killer. Just two weeks after his arrest, before he could ever face a judge, Wells was found dead in his jail cell. Justice was finally within reach — then gone in an instant. In this video, we break down the full story of one of Pensacola's most haunting cold cases — how a mother was murdered, how her killer hid in plain sight for decades, and how a single cigarette butt brought the truth to light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9E-AG52x4k