On a fateful day just four days after Christmas in 1989, tragedy struck in Charlotte, North Carolina, when 52-year-old mother Ruth Buchanan was fatally hit by a driver who ran a red light. The driver callously fled the scene, leaving Buchanan critically injured. Despite efforts to save her, Buchanan tragically passed away the following day.
For decades, the case remained unsolved until a breakthrough came with the advancement of DNA technology. The perpetrator, Herbert Stanback, now 68 years old, confessed to the hit-and-run incident that had haunted investigators for 35 years.
Initial witness reports provided a vehicle description and a license plate number, but the trail led to a stolen tag on a Mercedes that was not involved in the crime. However, investigators later discovered a black Mitsubishi at a Comfort Inn with matching damage to the suspect's vehicle. Personal items found inside, including a marijuana cigarette, eventually led to Stanback's identification through DNA testing.
Stanback, who was already in custody on an unrelated charge, made a full confession during a subsequent interview with investigators. Remarkably, he had been on a work-release program at a nearby hotel at the time of the hit-and-run, returning to prison after the incident.
The closure brought to Buchanan's family after years of uncertainty was described as a rewarding moment by Sgt. Gavin Jackson of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The case serves as a testament to the power of scientific advancements in solving cold cases, with DNA evidence linking Stanback to the crime over three decades later.
Stanback pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run resulting in serious injury or death and was sentenced to two years in prison, to be served concurrently with a 22-year sentence for an unrelated offense at the Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
