ABC 20/20 “First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” July 24 2026
20/20 presents “First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Reported by Stephanie Ramos, the two-hour broadcast revisits the murder of Leslie Preer, a wife and mother whose killing in an affluent Washington, D.C., suburb remained unsolved for nearly a quarter of a century. The case took a dramatic turn when DNA collected at a Washington-area airport unexpectedly identified her killer decades after the crime.
The episode follows investigators as they worked through a complex homicide investigation, initially focusing on those closest to the victim before advances in DNA technology finally delivered the breakthrough that had eluded detectives for years.
A Disturbing Discovery Inside the Family Home
The investigation began when Leslie Preer failed to report to work, prompting concern from her employer. Her boss and her husband went to the family’s home to check on her, only to discover a disturbing scene that led to an emergency 911 call.
Responding officers found Leslie dead inside the residence, launching a homicide investigation that immediately centered on determining who had entered the home and why she had been killed.
Early Suspicions Produce Few Answers
As is common in homicide investigations, detectives initially examined those closest to the victim, including Leslie’s husband. Investigators worked to reconstruct the family’s movements and relationships while searching for evidence that could identify the killer.
During the forensic examination, authorities recovered DNA from beneath Leslie’s fingernails, indicating that she had struggled with her attacker before her death. However, the genetic profile did not match anyone in law enforcement databases, leaving detectives without an identifiable suspect and causing the investigation to stall.
A Cold Case Is Revived by DNA Technology
For nearly 25 years, Leslie Preer’s murder remained unsolved despite investigators preserving the forensic evidence collected from the crime scene. As DNA databases expanded and investigative techniques improved, authorities continued searching for a match.
The breakthrough finally came from an unexpected source. DNA collected at a Washington, D.C.-area airport matched the unknown profile recovered from beneath Leslie’s fingernails, providing investigators with the lead they had been waiting decades to uncover.
The Killer Is Finally Identified
The airport DNA match led detectives directly to Leslie Preer’s killer, allowing investigators to solve a case that had remained one of the area’s longest-running unsolved murders.
The remarkable breakthrough demonstrated how preserved forensic evidence and continually expanding DNA databases can breathe new life into cold cases, giving investigators the opportunity to identify offenders many years after a crime has occurred.
A Quarter-Century Search for Justice
“First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder” chronicles the long road to justice for Leslie Preer and the investigators who refused to abandon her case. Through interviews with law enforcement officials and those connected to the investigation, 20/20 examines how modern forensic science transformed an unsolved murder into a solved case nearly 25 years after the crime, offering long-awaited answers to Leslie’s family.
