Overview
- Plymouth County authorities named Robert Carey as the person linked to two long-unsolved Brockton attacks after disclosing new DNA findings at a press conference.
- Investigators said DNA from the 1991 killing of 28-year-old Cherie Bishop in Mulberry Park and the 1993 abduction and rape of 30-year-old Donna Bell matched the same man.
- Forensic genealogy traced a close relative through an online ancestry database, which led detectives to Carey and a laboratory-confirmed DNA match to evidence from both scenes.
- Officials said Carey lived at the Brockton Veterans Administration Medical Center within about 1.5 miles of both crime locations and died of natural causes in 2025, so no charges will be filed.
- District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said the identification offers some closure to the Bishop and Bell families, who spoke about relief after learning who was responsible.