Summary

In May 2001, officers with the Montgomery County Police Department were dispatched to the home of Leslie Preer located in the 4800 block of Drummond Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Preer, who lived in Montgomery County, just north of Washington, D.C., had not shown up for work, prompting a visit by police. Upon entering Preer's home, officer found Preer's body and determined that she was a victim of homicide. Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene.

For twenty-three years, police worked diligently to determine who was responsible for killing Leslie Preer. Traditional DNA testing did not yield a match, and a suspect could not be identified. In September 2022, Montgomery County Police Department teamed with Othram to determine if advanced DNA testing could help to identify the perpetrator.

The Montgomery County Police Department submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas so that a DNA profile could be developed for the unknown suspect. Using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®, Othram scientists built a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown suspect. After completing the process, the DNA profile was delivered to investigators so that a forensic genetic genealogy search could be performed to develop new investigative leads in the case.

Using forensic genetic genealogy, law enforcement investigators identified a potential male suspect in the case. In June 2024, Montgomery County Police Detectives collected DNA evidence belonging to the potential suspect. This evidence was compared to the original DNA evidence collected at the crime scene in 2001. This comparison yielded a positive match, confirming the identity of the suspect as Eugene Teodor Gligor.

A warrant for Gligor’s arrest was requested and obtained in June 2024. Gligor was arrested by the U.S. Marshal's Task Force in Washington, D.C. Gligor, who was about 20 years old when the crime was committed has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The 45-year-old man is expected to be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison in August 2025.

This case is a reminder that every piece of preserved evidence has the potential to unlock long-awaited answers. If you would like to support efforts to solve more cases like this, consider contributing your DNA data to the DNASolves database which aids law enforcement in identifying suspects and giving families the answers they deserve.

The identification of Eugene Teodor Gligor represents the fourth case in the state of Maryland where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram. Earlier this week, the suspect in the rape and murder of Rachel Morin was identified after a 10-month-long nationwide search for an unknown man was launched following her August 2023 rape and murder.