Cold case: Winnipeg man arrested 27 years after murder of woman in New Jersey
Posted December 3, 2024 10:02 am.
Last Updated December 3, 2024 7:39 pm.
A Winnipeg man was arrested and extradited to the United States, 27 years after the homicide of a young woman in New Jersey.
Robert Allen Creter, 60, who has lived in Winnipeg for more than 20 years, was charged with first-degree murder in the U.S. historical homicide case.
Authorities say 23-year-old Tamara Tignor was found dead in a park in Bridgewater, N.J., in 1997. Officials believe she was strangled.
The case remained unsolved until advances in DNA technology allowed authorities from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) to identify a suspect in April 2023.
“In 2023, there were advancements in DNA testing that resulted in a profile that police were able to match to Robert Creter,” said Somerset County assistant prosecutor Mike McLaughlin. “Somerset County prosecutors, detectives, then looked through his prior police reports and they were able to link Creter to an orange van.
“The last person who saw Tammy alive saw her get into an orange van.”
“If you think about when she was killed there was really no cellphones, licence plate readers,” added NJSP Col. Patrick Callahan.
A warrant for Creter’s arrest was issued in May 2024. The following month, he was arrested by the Manitoba Integrated Violent Offender Apprehension Unit (MIVOAU).
Creter was transferred last week to the United States Marshals Service at the Winnipeg airport, and officials say he is being held in custody pending a detention hearing.
“The arrest of a suspect in this decades-old case is a testament to the unwavering dedication of law enforcement to seek justice, no matter how much time has passed,” Callahan said.
The investigation is ongoing. Officials would not say whether Tignor and the accused knew each other, or comment on a possible motive.
McLaughlin told reporters Monday that Tignor’s mother had been hoping for a breakthrough.
“Tammy’s mom called our office on Nov. 4 of every year — the anniversary of Tammy’s death — looking for an update,” he said.
“It was incredibly emotional, and she was very thankful to our detectives today and the detectives at the time.”
Constable Dani McKinnon of the Winnipeg Police Service says the outcome speaks to the investigators’ commitment to provide long-awaited answers to the family.
“With advancements in technology, often the evidence is reviewed, revisited and it’s retested, and this is a wonderful outcome. We were happy to be apart of it,” McKinnon said.
“The real unique aspect of it is that this individual lived in Canada undetected for so many years.”
Creter is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.
–With files from The Canadian Press
