Suspect in 1989 Danby double homicide arrested

DANBY — The Vermont State Police said today that after 33 years, they have identified a suspect in the 1989 double killing of George and Catherine Peacock of Danby.

Police arrested Michael Anthony Louise, 79, at his home in Syracuse, New York, on an arrest warrant for two counts of second-degree murder.

Louise is jailed in New York pending extradition proceedings to Vermont, where he will face arraignment upon his return.

George Peacock, 76, and Catherine Peacock, 73, were found dead on Sept. 17, 1989, by a neighbor inside their home on U.S. Route 7.

They had been stabbed multiple times, and there were no signs of forced entry or items of significance having been removed from the house.

Louise, who was married to one of the Peacocks’ daughters, was identified as a suspect in the killings about two weeks later.

Investigators at the time developed circumstantial evidence tying Louise to the killings but were unable to establish a conclusive link until forensic testing in May 2020 confirmed a DNA match to George Peacock in a spot of blood found inside Louise’s car in October 1989.

The blood sample had been tested previously during the investigation, as DNA testing technology was emerging, and that earlier test had been inconclusive.

Police say they are unable to comment further at this time.