WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg man has been extradited to New Jersey to face a murder charge in the death of a woman in 1997.
Robert Allen Creter, who is 60, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 23-year-old Tamara Tignor, whose body was found on a dirt access road near Washington Valley Park.
Officials believe she was strangled.
Prosecutors say a break in the long-unsolved case came last year, when evidence originally collected was resubmitted for DNA testing that was not technologically possible at the time.
They say that pointed them to Creter, who had moved to Winnipeg in 2002.
Creter was arrested in June and held in custody until his extradition.
He was transferred last week to the United States Marshals Service at the Winnipeg airport, and officials say he is being held in custody pending a detention hearing.
“The arrest of a suspect in this decades-old case is a testament to the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to seek justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Col. Patrick Callahan with the New Jersey State Police said in a news release.
Tignor disappeared after getting into a van. The investigation is ongoing and officials would not say whether she and the accused knew each other or comment on a possible motive.
A prosecutor told reporters Monday that Tignor's mother had been hoping for a breakthrough.
"Tammy's mom called our office on Nov. 4 of every year — the anniversary of Tammy's death — looking for an update," said Somerset County assistant prosecutor Mike McLaughlin.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2024.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
