CROWN POINT, Ind. — Lake County prosecutors have charged a man with murder in the December 1998 killing of Jacqueline “Jackie” Soto in Gary after DNA testing on decades-old evidence linked him to the case, Region News Source reported, citing Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter and court documents.
Key facts
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Defendant | Alfred Kevin Sanders |
| Victim | Jacqueline “Jackie” Soto |
| Killing | Dec. 29, 1998 — 500 block of Buchanan Street, Gary |
| Charge / custody | Murder; taken into custody July 15, 2026 |
| DNA peg | CODIS match Sept. 2025; ~220 million likelihood (affidavit) |
Alfred Kevin Sanders was taken into custody by the Lake County Police Department, Carter announced on July 15, 2026. He is charged with murder. The charge is an accusation. Sanders is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“This arrest sends a clear message: the passage of time does not erase our commitment to victims or their families,” Carter said, according to Region News Source. “For more than 27 years, Jacqueline Soto’s family has lived without answers. Jackie was not forgotten. Her case was not forgotten. Today represents an important step toward accountability and justice.”
1998 scene
Gary police responded to a residence in the 500 block of Buchanan Street on the evening of Dec. 29, 1998, after Soto’s landlord found her body inside the home, court documents summarized by Region News Source state.
The probable cause affidavit describes evidence of a violent assault throughout the residence. Detectives reported facial lacerations, blunt-force trauma to the back of her head, and Christmas lights wrapped around her neck. Investigators also documented blood throughout the home, broken glass, bloody shoe prints, and dresser drawers that had been removed. A television was missing; speakers remained, suggesting the home may have been staged to resemble a robbery, the affidavit states.
An autopsy determined Soto died from asphyxia due to strangulation. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Cold-case DNA
Assistant Chief Nicholas Wardrip of the Hobart Police Department and the Lake County Prosecutor’s Task Force reopened the investigation by reviewing old reports, photographs, witness statements and preserved forensic evidence. Investigators submitted fingernail clippings collected during the original autopsy for modern DNA testing.
Region News Source reported that forensic scientists developed an unknown male DNA profile entered into CODIS. In September 2025, that profile matched convicted offender Alfred Kevin Sanders.
A court-authorized buccal swab later yielded results described as “very strong support” for Sanders being the contributor of DNA found beneath Soto’s fingernails. One sample was reported as approximately 220 million times more likely if it originated from Sanders and Soto than from Soto and an unknown person, according to the affidavit as reported by Region News Source.
Interviews and prior radar
Investigators noted Sanders was considered a possible suspect in 1998 because he and Soto were reportedly involved in a relationship and he was known to sell drugs.
In interviews in September 2025 and February 2026, Sanders admitted knowing Soto, buying and selling drugs with her, and being inside her Buchanan Street residence before her death. He denied killing her and denied a sexual relationship with her, but according to the affidavit could not explain why his DNA was recovered beneath her fingernails.
A longtime friend of Soto told investigators Soto had expressed fear of Sanders — known by the nickname “Sunday School” — over disputes involving drugs and money, Region News Source reported.
“Cold cases demand extraordinary patience, persistence and collaboration,” Carter said, according to Region News Source. “This case demonstrates the tremendous value of preserving evidence and using advances in forensic science to revisit unsolved homicides.”
Carter credited Hobart Police, Gary Police, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Task Force, Indiana State Police forensic personnel, the Lake County Crime Scene Unit and the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Region N3 will update when further court dates are reported.
Photo credit
- Inline figures from Region N3 stock gallery / file (illustrative; not crime-scene originals unless noted)
- Photo: Region News Source — Image from original coverage of this story.