Case Update: DNA Match Helps Investigators Solve 34-Year-Old Case
Published on August 23, 2024
Charlotte, N.C. – (Friday, August 23, 2024) – Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Major Crash Investigation Unit have identified and charged a suspect in a 34-year-old fatal hit and run cold case.
On Friday, December 29, 1989, at 3:58 p.m., Mrs. Ruth Buchanan, 52, was crossing the intersection of 5th Street at North Tryon Street in Uptown when she was struck by a dark-colored vehicle that failed to stop at a red light. The driver of the suspect vehicle did not stop or attempt to render aid and fled the scene. Mrs. Buchanan was transported to Charlotte Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. The following afternoon, Mrs. Buchanan died from the injuries she sustained.
Witnesses were able to provide detectives with a description and license plate number of the suspect vehicle. Detectives determined the vehicle involved had been reported stolen.
In January 1990, officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call for service in the 4400 block of South Tryon St. Upon arrival, officers located a dark blue 1990 Mitsubishi Galant with a stolen license plate. Detectives identified the vehicle by the tag number provided by witnesses of the fatal hit and run and confirmed the vehicle’s involvement in the crash investigation. Crime Scene Search technicians responded to the scene and collected physical evidence from the suspect vehicle. It was then determined that the Mitsubishi had been stolen from a car dealership in Charlotte.
Due to a lack of further evidence, the case remained open for the next 32 years. In early 2022, detectives received a Crime Stoppers tip from an anonymous caller who identified a male subject believed to be involved in the collision.
It was soon determined that the individual implicated in the Crime Stoppers Tip was not involved with this incident.
In the subsequent investigation, CMPD’s Crime Lab analyzed physical evidence recovered from the suspect vehicle that was still in evidence lockup at CMPD headquarters. As a result of extensive DNA analysis and evidence examination, the Crime Lab and Major Crash Investigation Unit detectives identified Mr. Herbert Stanback, 68, as a suspect in this case. Mr. Stanback is currently incarcerated in the Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, N.C., serving a 22-year sentence in connection to an unrelated case.
On Wednesday, March 20, 2024, detectives traveled to Laurinburg, N.C. to speak with Mr. Stanback. During the course of the interview, Mr. Stanback confirmed he was the driver of the vehicle that struck Mrs. Buchanan on Friday, December 29, 1989. It was determined that Mr. Stanback was incarcerated at the Charlotte Correctional Facility on a work-release program at the time of the crash. At the conclusion of the interview, detectives immediately obtained an arrest warrant for Felony Hit and Run (Resulting in Serious Injury or Death) against Mr. Stanback. In June of 2024, he was transported to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and formally charged in this case.
This 34-year-old investigation was solved through a collaborative effort involving the CMPD Major Crash Investigation Unit, CMPD Crime Lab, CMPD Homicide Unit, CMPD Cold Case Review Team, District Attorney’s Office, NC Department of Corrections, and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Mrs. Buchanan’s son has been notified of the arrest.
To view an in-depth video detailing the investigation, click HERE.