SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- On Thursday, Scottsdale Police arrested 42-year-old Ian L Mitcham for the February 2015 murder of Scottsdale resident Allison Feldman.
His arrest in Phoenix at 9:57 a.m. this morning marks the culmination of an intense three year investigation into Allison’s senseless death. That investigation, and today’s arrest was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Scottsdale Police Department, Arizona Governor’s Office, Arizona State Attorney General’s Office, Department of Public Safety and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday February 18, 2015 at just after 4:00 p.m., Scottsdale Police Department Patrol officers responded to 8526 E Monterey Way, Scottsdale reference a female that had been found by her boyfriend deceased inside the home. That female was soon identified as 31-year-old Allison Feldman and her death was quickly determined to be a homicide.
Investigators and Crime Scene Specialists spent the next four days working tirelessly, methodically and systematically collecting forensic evidence from inside the home. That effort has continued for the last three years with Investigators spending countless hours canvassing the neighborhood, talking with the community, following up on tips and leaving no stone unturned in the effort to bring Allison’s murderer to justice.
Through the investigation our Detectives knew that Allison was killed sometime between February 17, 2015 and the early morning hours of February 18, 2015. From the start, we have stated that this investigation is and has been driven by forensic science and evidence. A DNA profile was developed from evidence at the scene, but unfortunately no match was found in the current databases.
In late 2017 our detectives began to work with the Arizona Governor’s Office, Arizona State Attorney General’s Office, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Public Safety to expand that forensic search. Our goal was to expand the parameters of the DNA search through the use of Familial DNA.
“We were at a point of impasse. We were out of leads and still had a very violent offender on the loose”, said Scottsdale Police Department Assistant Chief Scott Popp.
Familial DNA searches, though not used up to this point in Arizona, have been used successfully in other states in recent years. The process widens the search parameters of the offender data base to identify people that may be close relatives of the person who committed the crime. Using this process, we were able to develop a match, which ultimately led to Mitcham’s arrest today.
Information provided by the City of Scottsdale
