A Tennessee man on Monday was charged with two counts of murder for the cold case deaths of a 4-year-old girl and her 21-year-old mother who were found fatally shot in July 1992 in Gary, Indiana, according to the FBI's Indianapolis office.
DenNisha Howard, and her mother, Felicia Howard, were discovered to have been shot to death on July 15, 1992, inside their second floor apartment in the 3800 block of Washington Street.
The suspect, Victor Lofton, 57, of Humboldt, Tennessee, was arrested in the nearby city of Jackson on Feb. 5, and as of Monday, was awaiting extradition to Lake County. Lofton was born in East Chicago, Indiana, but moved to Tennessee at an early age.
During an interview with investigators in Sept. 2020, he denied knowing either victim and being in Indiana at the time of the murders, officials said.
Investigators utilized DNA technology and interviewed witnesses prior to Lofton's arrest.
"This case should serve as notice to those committing violent crimes in Northwest Indiana that the tireless investigators of the FBI's GRIT Task Force will never rest to ensure justice for those who have been victimized, even if it's 29 years later,” said Supervisory Special Agent Michael Peasley with the Gang Response Investigative Team at the FBI's Indianapolis office.
The Gary Police Department, Lake County Sheriff's Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Humboldt Police Department were among the agencies that assisted with the investigation.
