Washington police are searching for a suspect they believe is connected to the deaths of four people at a home in an upmarket Washington neighbourhood.
The critical clue that led police to 34-year old Daron Dylon Wint: A leftover pizza crust.
Three law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation told the Washington Post that Wint was a match for DNA evidence left on the crust of a Domino's pizza delivered to the home on May 13.
They believe that Savvas Savopoulos, 46; Amy Savopoulos, 47; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57, were held captive overnight in the multimillion-dollar northwest Washington home, then killed before the house was set afire the following day. Police said they are still unsure of a motive behind the killings. On the morning of May 14, Savvas Savopoulos's assistant dropped a package off at the house with US$40,000.
Police records also show a series of phone calls involving Savopoulos, his assistant, a bank and an accountant in the hours before the fire. A longtime housekeeper has said she received texts and voice mails from Savopoulos and his wife telling her not to come to the house on May 14.
Despite the fact that the home had been burned, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that investigators had been able to collect a lot of evidence from the scene, including a video.
Hunger and perhaps an oversight may have caused the suspect to leave a critical clue in this growing murder mystery that has captivated and terrified Washington.
The suspect is a former employee of an iron supply company headed by Savvas Savopoulos and has a long history of alleged assaults and threatening behaviour, according to law enforcement officials and court records.
The task of determining when the DNA had been left was made infinitely easier because police were able to learn that a Domino's driver had delivered the pizza to the home around the time the crime was committed.
A law enforcement source noted that the suspect appeared to have eaten the pizza with gloves on, not realising that his saliva remained.
- Washington Post-Bloomberg