Man charged with murder of Tamara Tignor in 1997

A Canadian man named Robert Creter is in custody and charged with murder in the 1997 death of Tamara Tignor, Somerset County prosecutors say.

Investigators say the key to solving the case was new technology that “enhanced” DNA evidence from the original crime scene.

Tignor’s body was found in Bridgewater on November 4, 1997. The 23-year-old’s remains were located near a remote hiking and ATV trail on Gilbride Road.

Police at the time had said Tignor was picked up from Newark and found beaten and sexually assaulted in Bridgewater. Police also said she was known to have problems with drugs and prostitution.

On Monday, police said Tignor was last seen getting into an orange van. Investigators said Creter, 60, was living in Somerset County at the time, working in the area of ​​the crime scene and for a company that used orange vans.

Investigators tracked Creter to Winnipeg, Canada, and he was extradited to New Jersey on November 26.

Although both Creter and the suspect had ties to Somerset County, it is not clear whether they had any connection to one another.

The New Jersey State Police provided the new DNA technology.

“The arrest of a suspect in this decades-old case is a testament to law enforcement’s unwavering commitment to justice,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan.

Creter will appear in court for a detention hearing on December 4th.