Indiana State Police have made an arrest in connection with a cold case from 1997.
In September of that year, the Indiana Lawrence Bank – located in the 200 block of East Main Street in Kewanna – was robbed at gun point. Officers had a description of the suspect at the time, but the perpetrator managed to escape the location with an undisclosed amount of cash.
A search was conducted for a white male with a husky build and standing at about 5’9” tall.
Later that day, investigators also received a report that 69-year-old Lawrence Pfeifer of Kewanna was found dead in his home. A bullet wound indicated the cause of death as a homicide.
Pfeifer’s vehicle was allegedly used in the bank robbery. Investigators believe that the 1998 Chevrolet Corsica was used during the bank robbery, but was returned and switched-out for another vehicle during the escape.
Evidence collected during the initial investigation was recently submitted for DNA testing. The results came back on November 9th, and indicate a positive match between the murder suspect and 52-year-old William Stinemetz. He is currently serving a jail sentence for crimes committed in the Palm City, Florida area.
An arrest warrant was issued after further investigation revealed Stinemetz has family ties to the Northern Indiana area.
He is now facing charges of Theft, Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, and Murder.
