Fingerprints Close 31-Year-Old Sarasota County Cold Case

SARASOTA, FL — A hunt for a fugitive from Sarasota County that lasted more than three decades has officially ended with the discovery of the man’s cancer-related death in Henderson, North Carolina.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Allen Schultz was initially charged in connection with the brutal beating of Doris Walker in 1985. Schultz, Walker’s boyfriend, was accused of “severely” attacking her and stomping on her neck during a domestic dispute at their home on Brentwood Drive on June 17, 1985.

The beating rendered Walker paraplegic, the sheriff’s office said.

Schultz was brought into custody in 1985 after the attack, but was later released on his own recognizance. Schultz fled the area after being released. Despite an outstanding warrant for aggravated battery, he managed to elude Sarasota authorities for decades.

The cold case, however, was never forgotten by Sarasota County detectives. They continued to work with the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task force in conducting a worldwide search for Schultz. In 2014, an age-progression photo of Schultz was released that captured national media attention.

The break in the case, however, came fairly recently when investigators were able to link Schultz to a man named Allen Sherwood who had been arrested in Collier County in 1988.

“Sherwood’s date of birth and social security number we’re similar to Schultz’ and when investigators compared booking photos, they were identical,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators were able to trace Sherwood to Henderson, but learned he died from cancer in 2003. Still not completely sure if Sherwood and Schultz were the same person, latent print examiners were called in to compare fingerprints from Schultz’s 1985 arrest to Sherwood’s arrest in 1988. Examination of the body was impossible because Sherwood had been cremated, the sheriff’s office noted.

The latent print examination, however, paid off. “The fingerprints were a positive match,” the sheriff's office's email said.

Walker, the sheriff’s office said, died in 2004 due to complications that arose related to her injuries. Her death would have elevated charges against Schultz to homicide.

“This is a huge break in a case that's been lingering for more than 30 years," Sheriff Tom Knight said in a statement. "The investigators in this case worked tirelessly to seek resolution and bring closure to Doris Walker's family and today, they've done just that. I am immensely proud of the work that went into this investigation."

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office