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Although his mother is not alive to see him, Christy Mirack and other members of his family could finally see some justice.
More than 25 years after the brutal murder of the elementary school teacher, Raymond Charles Rowe, 45, also known as DJ Freez, was arrested and charged with homicide.
Rowe was to be arrested later on Monday, and Stedman said he was expecting Rowe to be deprived of his bail.
Stedman said that even though nothing has officially been filed, he believes that there are aggravating circumstances that would justify making the death penalty a case.
The key, District Attorney Craig Stedman said, was Parabon NanoLabs technology.
Stedman, Parabon representatives and investigators all complained that Mirack's mother was no longer alive to attend the announcement.
"It's a bittersweet day for me and my family," said Mirack's brother, Vince. "Nothing can change the loss of my sister, Christy, but we can move in the right direction."
Mirack's body was found at home by a school administrator on December 21, 1992, when she did not go to work.
The director of the Rohrerstown Elementary School then went to the 25-year-old at around 9:20 am and found the door slightly ajar, according to court documents filed in the case.
He announced himself several times, but received no response, so he entered the Mirack townhouse and found him lying on the living room floor. The principal called 911 and told dispatchers that Mirack seemed not to respond, and he believed that she had been "beaten, raped and possibly stolen".
READ MORE: Proof of DNA, the technology allows investigators to create composites of 1992 Pa. Suspicious Murder
When East Lampeter's police arrived, they saw Mirack "clearly dead," with obvious wounds to his face. His pants and underwear were close to his body, seeming to have been torn off as his shirt and jacket were pushed upward, according to the court document. A wooden cutting board was placed next to Mirack's head.
The investigators were able to gather significant evidence of Mirack's scene and body, and took note of the packages scattered around the show, which indicated a struggle.
Mirack was still wearing burgundy gloves and a brown leather jacket, which indicated to the investigators that she was probably preparing to leave the residence when she was attacked.
The investigators later learned that Mirack's roommate had left home around 7 am, and that Mirack had no news after that.
Mirack was suffering from severe blunt trauma to the neck, back, upper chest, and face, and an autopsy was performed. She had also been strangled and sexually assaulted.
The DNA was collected from Mirack's body and finally entered the combined DNA index system (CODIS), and until now there is no not had any pairing in CODIS.
Stedman said that they used DNA phenotyping technology to solve crime, the same type of technology used to identify the gold killer.
READ MORE: DA praises new technology to help find a "solid and viable suspect" in cold murder cases
Detectives from Lancaster County took over the case in 2016, and they took the next steps.
Parabon NanoLabs was the key factor when investigators had more leads, Stedman said. They were contacted for the first time in 2016, according to court documents, when they asked for phenotyping of the suspect profile's DNA. In March 2017, the same thing was provided to the laboratory and a report was published.
On November 1, 2017, investigators released the information at a news conference and the community was asked to contact the police for any information they had.
On May 1, 2018, Parabon informed investigators of a new genetic genealogy service that involved submitting the suspect's DNA into a public database for comparison with other profiles.
The investigators went ahead with this comparison, and on May 14, Parabon informed them that there was a significant match found in the database that appeared to be a relationship with the killer. Further analysis by Parabon found Rowe as a suspect, and they provided the name to the police.
Parabon's tests were not used to lay charges, but it's because of Parabon that the investigators had a connection with Rowe, Stedman said.
Stedman would not reveal the direct relationship of the family member who caught the investigator's attention on Rowe, but he said that he was a close relative.
On May 31, after a secret investigation at Smoketown Elementary School where Rowe was working as a DJ, the investigators obtained DNA chewing gum and a bottle of water used by Rowe while they were working.
READ MORE: New information on the investigation into the unresolved murder of the elementary teacher of central Pennsylvania
The comparison of the DNA of these objects with Mirack's body and carpet matched, giving investigators what they needed to make an arrest.
Stedman pointed out the likelihood that DNA came from someone else having the same combination of DNA was so high, he had not even heard of certain numbers before .
He also said that the same DNA comparison that led to the arrest of Rowe has exonerated many other suspects in the same case.
Rowe is the owner of Freez Entertainment, and calls DJ Freez professionally. Stedman confirmed that Rowe was already a DJ at the time of Mirack's murder, but he was not sure if he was doing other work at that time.
Stedman did not speak of a direct link between Mirack and Rowe, but he said that as a DJ, Rowe was working in institutions where a young woman might have left.
Stedman also stated that he was not present when Rowe was arrested, but the arrest occurred without incident. Stedman would not comment on what Rowe said or his behavior during his arrest.
During a press conference Monday, Stedman repeatedly thanked Parabon for the assistance of the case, stating that without them, they were short of suspects. From there, he thanked the local investigators for having worked so diligently so that they, even those who have retired since the creation of the case, could make an arrest.
"This killer was free was free from this crime, this brutal crime, for longer than Christy Mirack on this earth, alive," said Stedman.
Representatives of Parabon were present at the press conference, and confirmed that it is one of three arrests across the country that have been made in connection with new technology since the company started offering service in May. This is the first in Pennsylvania.
"One of the reasons we stayed true to this idea and that we have never forgotten is that it's so disturbing," Stedman said. "We have a truly innocent victim, all her life before her, she had dreams, she was a positive member of the community, she taught children and her life was brutally taken away.
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