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New court documents detail how investigators cracked 34-year-old cold case

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — New court documents outline the years of detective work, and advances in DNA technology, that eventually led to an arrest in a 34-year-old Central Florida murder case.

The victim's body was discovered outside a home in Sanford in 1984. The man accused of murdering her was only arrested last week.

Thomas Garner, 59, was back before a judge Saturday and was ordered to be held without bond, pending a special hearing to allow a defense attorney to show why he should be given bond.

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Garner was arrested in Jacksonville last Wednesday for the 1984 beating and strangling of 25-year-old Pamela Cahanes.

Both Cahanes and Garner were in the Navy and living on base at the time of the murder.

Investigators said they used DNA discovered on the victim's underwear and beneath her fingernails to develop a DNA profile for the suspect.

As science and technology continued to evolve, investigators were able to track down a fifth generational match to the suspect DNA.

They used that to develop a family tree, which identified Garner as a potential suspect.

Detectives collected evidence from Garner's trash -- including a cigarette butt, cotton swab and a piece of used dental floss – to make a 100 percent match and then get a warrant for his arrest.

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