We commend all who were involved with persuing justice for Schumake and her family.

On Aug. 17, 1981, 21-year-old SIUC student Susan Schumake was raped and strangled to death on the “Ho Chi Minh” trail located between the railroad tracks and U.S. Highway 51. Her death inspired the dedication of the footbridge connecting the campus to the dorms over Route 51.

But for 23 years, police were unable to make an arrest.

One man in particular named John Paul Phillips, an admitted murderer, was thought to be her killer. Phillips died on death row in 1993. But in 2001, Carbondale police officers had his body exhumed and found his DNA did not match the DNA found at the crime scene.

When Phillips was eliminated as a suspect, Carbondale Police Sgt. Paul Echols, with the help of the Carbondale police, decided to re-examine other suspects using DNA technology.

One of those suspects was Michigan native Daniel Woloson, who was a maintenance worker at the Quadrangle Apartments at the time of Schumake’s death. Woloson was arrested Fridayin Michigan.

The Carbondale police, and Sgt. Echols in particular, should be commended for their continued effort after more than two decades to solve Schumake’s murder.

Echols has been working on this case since day one and has been involved in all its details. He had only been working at the department for nine days at the time of Schumake’s murder. Echols has been in touch with the Schumake family throughout the entire investigation and phoned them when Woloson was arrested.

John Schumake, Susan’s brother, told police the arrest was made on the birthday of his late father, saying, “The hand of God must have been involved.”

To show his commitment to Schumake and her family, Sgt. Echols brought a framed picture of her to the press conference in which Woloson’s arrest was announced.

Schumake’s case illustrates the power of DNA technology in solving decades-old murders and may serve as a reminder that those who commit acts of violence may be brought to justice even years after the crime.

On the other hand, this same technology has worked wonders in helping the accused and wrongly convicted receive justice they may have been denied in the past. The exonerations of many death-row inmates came as a direct result of the power of DNA testing.

It is reassuring to see the Carbondale police using this powerful tool to try to bring closure to the family and a measure of peace to the community.

The Carbondale police did a great service by hiring Echols. His demonstrated determination makes him a key asset to the force.

An arrest may never have been made if scientific advances and a persistent police officer had not been following the case so closely, and for that we commend all who were involved with pursuing justice for Schumake and her family.