St. Clair County Sheriff Detectives put a 43-year-old cold case to rest with an arrest last Friday, December 15, in Fort Gratiot.
70-year-old Douglas Laming, identified via forensic genetic genealogy, was arrested in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Karen Umphrey in November 1980. Umphrey, a Marysville High School graduate and secretary for Marysville Marine Distributors, was found dead in Clyde Township a day after being last seen leaving a party in Port Huron.
In addition to forensic identification, investigators conducted interviews and found vital connections linking Umphrey and her alleged killer.
Laming was arraigned on a charge of felony murder on Sunday, December 17, in the 72nd District Court, with Magistrate Susan Borovich imposing a $2 million bond. He remains at the St. Clair County Detention and Intervention Center, and is expected to appear before District Judge Mona Armstrong for a probable cause conference on December 26 at 9:00 a.m., and an examination hearing on January 2, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
