SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Police detectives have identified a former Pasco police officer as a suspect in a homicide from 1986.
Richard J. Aguirre was recently identified as a suspect in the case through a DNA profile match.
Ruby Doss, 27, was found strangled near the intersection of N. Fiske and E. Ferry in Spokane in 1986. Police collected DNA samples from the murder scene, but did get a match until recently. Investigators took DNA from Aguirre as part of the investigation and when they entered it into the system it matched DNA found on Ruby Doss.
Police said Aguirre lived in Spokane at the time the murdered was committed.
"At the time that this occurred he was not a Pasco Police Officer," said Lt. Steven Wohl of the Spokane Police Department.
Police said Doss was just one of several unsolved cold cases, so they are looking into the possibility that Aguirre could be connected to others.
"There are several that are similar that we're going look into it potentially leading to further investigation on those cases," said Lt. Wohl.
As for Doss's family, Police said they are hoping to finally have some closure.
"They were very excited and very happy that we continued to follow up on this case and that we don't just forget about these victims cause again these are victims who have family members who have done good things and they want closure desperately," said Lt. Wohl.
Aguirre was officially charged with rape in Franklin County, which occurred in the Tri-Cities area in 2014. He was placed on administrative leave from the Pasco Police Department and recently resigned.
Investigators are asking women who may have been assaulted by Aguirre or anyone with information related to the Doss homicide to contact Spokane Police Department Major Crimes Detectives at 509-622-5849.
