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37-Year Cold Case Cracked by DNA Genealogy
19 Nov, 2025
Summary
- A 37-year-old murder case was solved using genetic genealogy.
- The victim was killed in her apartment complex's laundry room in 1987.
- A neighbor, now 76, was arrested after a DNA match.
After 37 years, authorities have arrested a suspect in the 1987 murder of Margit Schuller, a 34-year-old Hungarian native. Schuller was found shot to death in the laundry room of her South Carolina apartment complex. The investigation remained cold for decades, with initial theories pointing to sexual assault as the motive and evidence including a blood trail and a recovered pistol.
Advances in DNA technology, specifically the CODIS database and later, genetic genealogy, became crucial. Investigators used DNA found at the scene to identify potential relatives, eventually leading them to Cortez Sabino Lake. Lake, who lived in the same complex at the time of the murder, was not previously considered a suspect.
Lake, now 76, was arrested on a murder warrant. He had continued to reside in Beaufort County, working as a respiratory therapist. The arrest has brought some closure to Schuller's husband and daughter, who were devastated by the loss. The sheriff's office continues to seek additional information regarding the case.
