After more than two decades of uncertainty, the murder of Lauren Preer, a 50-year-old mother from Chevy Chase, Maryland, has finally been solved. The breakthrough came through DNA evidence, bringing long-awaited justice to a family that never stopped searching for answers.
Brutal Crime in an Upscale Neighborhood
Lauren Preer was attacked and murdered in 2001 in her home in Chevy Chase, an affluent suburb just outside Washington, D.C. At the time, police investigated several leads, including briefly suspecting her husband, Carl “Sandy” Preer. Though ultimately cleared, Carl lived the rest of his life haunted by the unanswered question of who killed his wife. He passed away in 2017 due to septic shock.
Before his death, Carl reportedly voiced suspicions about a former family acquaintance: Eugene Gilgor. His daughter Leslie Preer, who had dated Gilgor as a teenager, recalled her father saying something always seemed “off” about him.
A Familiar Face, An Unthinkable Act
Gilgor was known to the Preer family and had even been welcomed into their home in the past. He and Leslie dated briefly when they were 15 and remained friendly after the breakup. At the time of the murder, Gilgor was in college and in his early 20s.
Because of this history, the idea that someone so familiar, someone they once trusted, could have committed such a brutal act seemed unlikely—until modern forensic science said otherwise.
DNA Evidence Leads to Justice
The key breakthrough came from DNA found under Lauren Preer’s fingernails—likely collected during the violent struggle leading to her death. Police submitted this DNA to genealogical databases, where they found a match to a distant relative living in Romania. After further investigation, the evidence led them directly to Eugene Gilgor.
This week, Gilgor pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, finally putting to rest a 24-year mystery that devastated the Preer family and the local community.
Family Responds to Long-Awaited Justice
“This has been a long, painful journey,” family attorney Benjamin Kurtz told Fox News Digital. “Lauren, her family, and friends have waited 24 years to finally get closure and justice for this horrific crime that tore her family apart.”
Leslie Preer, speaking to News4, reflected on the deep betrayal they all felt: “Both of these gentlemen with me were his friends as well. They knew him as long as I had known him… so never in a million years did we think that one of our people could hurt my mom like that.”