In 1993, 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss was stabbed over 60 times in her Indianapolis apartment while neighbors heard her screaming 'get off me' for 30 minutes and did nothing. The case went cold for decades until Sergeant Bill Carter — a nuisance abatement officer with zero homicide training — rebooted the investigation in 2013, obtained DNA profiles from the crime scene, and eliminated over 40 suspects. Carter was then suspended and removed from the case by IMPD after he crowdfunded $1,200 for a DNA test the department refused to pay for, before public pressure forced his partial reinstatement.
Key Moments
Brit
“For 30 minutes, she screams and struggles before one set of hurried footprints can be heard, leaving and disappearing into the night, and everyone just goes back to sleep.”
Describing the night of Carmen's murder on March 23, 1993, as neighbors in the apartment complex ignored her cries for help.
“He gets this idea to crowdsource the funds for the DNA tests himself. He knew that the police department had crowdsourced donations in the past when a police horse with skin cancer needed surgery. So he thinks, I mean, if we can do it for a horse, surely we could do it for Carmen.”
Explaining how Sergeant Bill Carter devised a plan to fund critical DNA testing after IMPD refused to pay for it.
“He gets slapped with a 10-day suspension. Carter told our reporter Nicole that before this, he had never been disciplined before. I mean, this guy was by the books, hardworking. I mean, he'd only taken 4 hours of sick time in his entire career.”
Detailing the professional punishment Sergeant Carter received from IMPD after his unauthorized GoFundMe campaign for the DNA test.
“Your toes and your fragile egos. What is the right thing to do by Carmen? What is the right thing to do by her family? That's what matters. Everything else that's in the way of the right thing is the wrong thing.”
Responding with frustration after learning IMPD suspended Carter and returned all crowdfunded donations rather than allow him to continue working Carmen's case.
“Carmen's brother is quoted in the news saying, 'The only person that's ever made any progress is Bill Carter. And if Carter's off the case, the case is over.'”
Sharing the family's public reaction after IMPD removed Sergeant Carter from Carmen's cold case.
Crime Junkie is a weekly true crime podcast hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, known for its clear, fast-paced storytelling and deep investigative reporting. The show covers murders, disappearances, and cold cases from across the United States, often shining light on cases that have gone unsolved for years or decades. Ashley Flowers also founded Audiochuck, the independent podcast network behind the show.
Takeaways
1
Bureaucracy punished the one cop making progress Sergeant Bill Carter — a nuisance abatement officer, not a homicide detective — drove Carmen's reinvestigation entirely in his spare time, eliminating over 40 DNA suspects. When IMPD refused to fund a corrective DNA test, he raised $1,200 via GoFundMe in 7 hours. IMPD forced him to return every dollar, removed him from the case, and issued him a 10-day suspension — his only disciplinary action in an otherwise spotless career.
2
Public pressure reversed an institutional decision within days After Carmen's family launched an online petition demanding Carter's reinstatement that quickly gathered over 500 signatures, IMPD reversed course within days and claimed he had never truly been removed. The episode underscores how visible public advocacy — even a simple petition — can force accountability from law enforcement agencies that might otherwise quietly bury inconvenient cases.
3
Neighbors heard murder, did absolutely nothing Multiple residents of Turtle Creek Apartments heard Carmen Van Huss screaming 'get off me' for a full 30 minutes in the middle of the night on March 23, 1993. Not one called 911 — one neighbor literally turned over and went back to sleep. Someone did file a noise complaint with management, resulting in a note scolding Carmen that her father found next to her body.
4
DNA from crime scene sat untested for 20 years Evidence including swabs containing semen and a bloody white paper bag were collected in 1993 but not sent for DNA testing at the time because the technology wasn't widely available. When Sergeant Carter finally arranged testing in 2013, the lab returned matching male DNA profiles from both items — a full 20 years after Carmen's murder. Critically, only Carmen's own DNA had been entered into databases prior to this.
5
City accidentally tested victim's DNA, not killer's In 2015, a $1,600 DNA test paid for by the city came back identifying 'a European female' as the killer — an impossible result given the semen evidence. Investigators concluded the lab had been sent Carmen's own DNA rather than the crime scene sample, likely due to an administrative mix-up related to her profile having previously been entered into CODIS. The error wasted time, money, and momentum.
6
Critical location — apartment laundry room — never investigated Carmen told her boyfriend she needed to go home and wash her Pizza Hut uniform before her next shift. Since her unit had no washer/dryer, she would have needed to visit the communal laundry room — a space where she could plausibly have encountered her killer. Ashley Flowers flagged that no one apparently checked the laundry room or confirmed whether Carmen's uniform was ever washed, calling it 'wild' given its investigative significance.
7
60 stab wounds, no murder weapon ever found Carmen suffered 60 stab wounds to her head, face, body, and genitalia — so violent that wounds penetrated her skull. Despite extensive investigation, the weapon was never recovered. Investigators suspected something small and pointed like a screwdriver or pocket knife, but neither was found at the scene or anywhere else.