EATONTON, Ga. — May marks 10 years since Russell and Shirley Dermond were found dead in Putnam County.
Russell was found in the garage of their lake home in the Great Waters Eatonton subdivision. 10 days later, his wife Shirley was found in Lake Oconee.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills was the lead on this case when it happened in 2014. He says he thinks about this case all the time. And now that it's been 10 years, Sills says there may be new results to share in this case that went cold.
"We just got some information back from a lab with some DNA information out in Salt Lake City," Sills said.
Sills says there are forms for 911 dispatchers and he has boxes related to the case in his office, in case someone calls about it. Through technological advances, they first sent physical evidence to Othram.
Othram is a company in Texas that tries to solve murders by looking at forensic genetic genealogy.
In late February, Sills says physical evidence was sent to Sorenson Forensics in Utah. Another company that looks at DNA testing to help law enforcement solve murders. He says the DNA belongs to somebody else, not the Dermonds.
"They have found DNA now. That's not Shirley Dermonds, that's not Russell Dermond's but they are drilling down trying to get more of that DNA so we can hopefully get a sample suitable to submit into the CODIS database," Sills said.
CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System. It's a computer software that has the DNA of "convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons."
Sills says he has spoken to the family and let them know of any updates if there are any. He has investigated and solved many murders in his career and put people away but this case has left a burden on him that he carries.
"Certainly the first time I've had a decapitation case where the head was taken away," Sills said.
Sills hopes to solve this case and give the family closure.
The FBI has increased the reward money for the Dermond case bringing the total to $25,000 for anyone who has information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information about the case can call the FBI Atlanta office at 770-216-3000.