A second pair of women’s underwear was found at the scene when the body of 19-year old Brianna Denison was recovered on February 15, the Reno Police Department said during a news conference today.
Reno Police Detective Commander Leigha Struffert said laboratory analysis has confirmed the pink women’s underwear contain the DNA of the murder suspect, Brianna Denison and the owner of the underwear who was a resident of the Mackay Court residence from which Denison was abducted on January 20.
Struffert said the pink underwear was found at the scene intertwined with a pair of distinctive black women’s underwear described as having the caricatures of the head of the “Pink Panther” and pink hearts on a black cotton field. The black underwear contains the DNA of an unknown male and an unknown female. “I encourage anyone who is missing a similar pair of underwear to contact the Reno Police Department’s 24-hour tip line at (775) 745-3521,” Struffert said. “The suspect in this case is known by someone; someone with whom they have had a long or short term relationship, or even a husband or other relative. We need to know under what circumstances the black underwear was lost and when.”
Struffert said confusion over the DNA found on the black underwear was the result of a miscommunication over the findings on both pair of underwear to officers working with the news media. She re-emphasized that the DNA found on the black underwear contain the DNA of an unknown male and unknown female and not the suspect, as was originally reported. “However, we know that the suspect left both pair at the scene which makes the underwear important evidence in this investigation.”
Struffert explained that information about the pink underwear found at the scene was held back, but was released today to help clarify the findings on both pair of underwear. “Hold back information is information about a crime that only the perpetrator, victim and the investigators know, but at this point in the investigation there is no reason not to release this information.” However, Struffert emphasized that information about the condition of Denison’s body at the time of discovery and other evidence recovered at the scene would not be released or discussed at this time.
Tuesday, the Reno Police Department announced it had established a webpage to provide a single source of information and updates related to the investigation into the abduction and strangulation murder of Brianna Denison. Struffert said the webpage will be updated as new information about the investigation is released. The webpage can be found by going to the City of Reno’s website at www.cityofreno.com and following the Brianna Denison Investigation link under the “In The News” heading.
The webpage currently includes suspect and suspect vehicle information, links to previous Reno Police Department news releases related to the investigation, and information released about evidence found near Denison’s body after a telephone tip led Reno police to the location in an undeveloped field in south Reno on February 15.
Photographs of the unidentified women’s black thong underwear with the Pink Panther character designs are also included on the webpage.
The webpage also includes the numbers for the Reno Police Department’s 24-hour tip line, (775) 745-3521, and the Secret Witness Program, (775) 322-4900.
DNA evidence from the scene of Denison’s abduction has been linked to DNA evidence from an abduction and sexual assault that occurred nearby on December 16, and a sexual assault on November 13. The victim in the December 16 assault was also the victim of an attempted burglary at her residence on January 19, the day before Brianna Denison was abducted.