’73 RAPE-SLAY SOLVED
DNA finding shocks killer’s son, who barely knew his dad
Naomi Sanders was frying a double portion of steak in 1973 when she was raped and strangled in her California apartment in a murder that went unsolved for decades.
Sanders, 57 (inset), lived alone as the manager for her complex in Vallejo. Police had no suspects and thought maybe the extra steak was for her pet poodle, Cindy.
Her late killer, Robert Dale Edwards, was finally identified last week after semen found on her clothes matched with familial DNA on a public genealogy database, police said.
One of Edwards’ surviving sons, who barely knew him, told the Daily News on Monday he was stunned to get the news.
“Months after I was born, my mom left my father because of his abuse to her. He was a Vietnam vet and was never the same after. I was not allowed to be around the Edwards side of family growing up,” estranged son Robert Edwards, 42, said.
The married dad now living in Fairfield, Calif., said a half brother he doesn’t know but who’s rumored to be incarcerated out of state provided the followup familial DNA sample that led to the final match that confirmed the crime.
“I was never contacted or approached about any of this, and I was in shock to find this out,” Edwards told The News, saying his sympathies were with the Sanders family.
“I could only imagine the pain and frustration of not having closure. All this was shocking to me. I knew my dad was not a nice man after the war but never thought he was a murderer [or] rapist,” he said.
The suspected killer died of a drug overdose in 1993 at about age 42, police said.
It was his niece Sophia
Edwards, 26, who first uploaded her own DNA to the genealogy database GEDmatch.com, providing the familial link that led to her dead uncle, she told The News.
Like the alleged killer’s son, she barely knew her own father and was curious about her family history.
The Napa, Calif., mom was watching her local news last Thursday when she saw that Vallejo police had finally solved the case and released her uncle’s photo.
“My initial reaction was utter shock,” she said in a phone interview Monday. “I never got to know my father and never met my uncle, but I recognized him. I had photos.”
The young mom and inhome care provider said she’s happy the process has provided answers to Sanders’ family.
“If I were to talk to them, I would apologize on behalf of my uncle. It breaks my heart that for so many years they had to live with not knowing what happened to their loved one. I would hate to live with that kind of fear and uncertainty,” she told The News. “I’m happy they now have some closure and hopefully some peace,” she said.
“And to anyone saying my family has horrible DNA, I want to set the record straight,” she continued. “That’s not who we are. We are here to break the cycle.”
Sanders’ killer was a 22year-old Vallejo resident at the time of the crime.
During the course of the investigation, detectives learned his father had previously been Sanders’ co-worker, police said.
His criminal history included assault, theft, DUI, domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder, Vallejo cops said.
Sanders had no children and was one of 10 brothers and sisters.
In a statement, her nieces thanked police for never giving up on justice in the case.
“As you can imagine, over that 46 years, many family members directly affected by the loss of Naomi have also passed, and, unfortunately, they cannot be afforded the truth as to what happened,” the statement released by police said.
“Those of us who do remember the stories of Naomi’s life and untimely death can now feel closure thanks to the determination and teamwork of the Vallejo Police Department and partnering law enforcement agencies. May Naomi now rest in peace.”