Minnesota man convicted of 1986 rape, murder of woman after one of county's 'most exhaustive investigations'

Michael Allan Carbo Jr. was convicted in Minnesota and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison

A Minnesota jury has convicted a man charged with raping and killing a woman more than three decades ago in the state’s Iron Range region, in a case that was revived by genealogy database analysts.

Michael Allan Carbo Jr., 54, of Chisholm, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder while committing criminal sexual conduct in the 1986 slaying of 38-year-old Nancy Daugherty, also of Chisholm. Her death "prompted one of the most exhaustive investigations in St. Louis County," county attorney Kimberly Maki said in announcing the verdict.

According to the Duluth News Tribune, Carbo shook his head as he listened to the guilty verdicts being read on Tuesday. 

Outside the courtroom, Carbo’s defense attorney, J.D. Schmid told reporters he and his client were "disappointed in the verdict," according to the report. 

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Michael Allan Carbo Jr. mugshot photo; Photo of Nancy Daugherty before her death (Saint Louis County Jail; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension)

"Mr. Carbo is innocent and we do intend to appeal," he reportedly said. Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Schmid.

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Police discovered Daugherty dead while conducting a welfare check at her home on July 16, 1986. Carbo was 18 at the time, lived less than a mile from the crime scene and attended school with Daugherty’s children.

Michael Allan Carbo Jr. mugshot photo (Saint Louis County Jail)

The break came 34 years later, after Chisholm police approached the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension about providing a sample of the DNA evidence to a company that analyzes public genealogy databases. The company identified Carbo as a potential suspect.

According to the criminal complaint, police saw Carbo carry a bag of garbage from his apartment last week. Police retrieved the bag and obtained DNA evidence, which matched DNA at the scene. Investigators later obtained a DNA sample from Carbo that matched, the complaint said.

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Carbo faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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