Ex-boyfriend charged in 2001 Chevy Chase mom's murder after DNA match
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A man has been arrested in connection with a 2001 cold-case murder in Chevy Chase, bringing a long-awaited breakthrough to an investigation that has left the victim's family in shock.
Montgomery County police were called to a home in Chevy Chase 23 years ago, where they found Leslie Preer murdered after she failed to show up for work.
For years, the case went cold with no leads until DNA evidence from the scene recently matched Eugene Gligor, 44, a familiar face to the victim’s family.
Lauren Preer, the victim's daughter, expressed her disbelief, revealing that Gligor was her ex-boyfriend.
"It’s been a hell of a day!" she said. "He was my ex-boyfriend!"
Lauren and Eugene grew up in the same neighborhood, with Lauren living in Somerset and Eugene nearby in Kenwood.
They began dating when Lauren was 15, and their families were acquainted.
Gligor was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder.
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Police ask for help solving 2001 murder of woman in Montgomery County
Montgomery County Police are asking for the public's help with an unsolved murder from 21 years ago. Leslie Preer was murdered inside her Chevy Chase home, and police believe her killer is still out there.
Assistant Chief Nicholas Augustine of the Montgomery County Police Department credited advances in technology for solving the case after 23 years.
Detectives used blood recovered from the scene in 2001 and submitted it to the lab in 2022.
"It’s forensic genealogy that helped us get a name or DNA relation to link that to the victim," Augustine said.
Augustine described the investigative work as very tedious, requiring dedication from detectives.
"We will go many years, whether it's 20 or 40 years, to find out the answers and hold people accountable for violent incidents that happened in the past," he added.
Lauren recounted a recent encounter with Gligor at a restaurant in D.C. last year.
"I’ve spoken to him. He didn’t seem weird and how you could look someone in the eye and know that you committed this crime and act like nothing happened is pretty unreal," she said.
Lauren told FOX 5 that she's filled with a lot of emotions, but there is a sense of relief and, hopefully, justice is coming soon.
Gligor is currently in D.C. waiting to be extradited to Montgomery County where he will appear in front of a judge.