DNA leads to murder charge in 2001 death of Chevy Chase woman

Suspect identified through analysis of blood found in victim’s home, police say

June 18, 2024 7:45 p.m.

Montgomery County police announced Tuesday that a 44-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 2001 death of a woman who was found in her Chevy Chase home.

According to police, a DNA analysis of blood collected at the home of Leslie Preer in the 4800 block of Drummond Avenue helped the department’s cold case detectives identify Eugene Teodor Gligor as a potential suspect in her death.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Gligor on Saturday and he was arrested Tuesday in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force and charged with first-degree murder, police said Tuesday in a statement.

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The statement did not say where exactly Gligor, who is expected to be extradited to Montgomery County, was arrested or where he was residing at the time.

According to police, officers were dispatched shortly before noon May 2, 2001, for the report of a suspicious situation at Preer’s home after her employer and husband had gone to check on her when she didn’t show up for work that morning. They found Preer dead inside with “apparent trauma,” police have said.

The officers identified a crime scene and Preer’s death was ruled a homicide.

In September 2022, blood recovered from the 2001 scene was submitted to a lab for “forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis,” the statement said.

Detectives then identified Gligor as a potential suspect and on June 9 collected “DNA evidence belonging to Gligor,” the statement said. The evidence was compared to the DNA recovered from the crime scene, generating a positive match.

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MoCo360 could not determine Tuesday afternoon whether Gligor has legal representation.

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