Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
“The Hunt for Sarah Yarborough’s Killer” is the latest episode of 48 Hours that aired on ID on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.
Sarah Yarborough vanished on Saturday, December 14, 1991. She reportedly arrived early to drill practice before anyone else. When the rest of her team arrived, they found Sarah’s car in the parking lot, but no sign of her. Her body was later discovered about 300 feet away from her car, hidden in the bushes. She was found strangled and partially dressed. Some clothes had been lying in the grass, CBS News reported.
Upon investigation, police identified 13-year-old Drew Miller, who lived down the street from the high school, as a witness in the case. It was Miller who led the police to Sarah Yarborough’s body. He claimed that he saw the man walking out of the bushes where the body was. Miller and his friend described the man’s features to authorities. The police displayed sketches of the suspect along the Federal Way Area. However, no suspects were confirmed in the case, and none of the many leads led to any conclusions.
Semen samples were discovered on Sarah’s clothing. Despite authorities collecting DNA evidence from the crime scene, they were unable to pinpoint a suspect. Subsequently, the case grew cold. Years later, authorities collaborated with a genetic genealogy company. In 2019, nearly three decades after Sarah Yarborough’s murder, they identified a suspect: Patrick Nicholas.
According to People Magazine, investigators gathered cigarette butts and discarded paper napkins left by Nicholas. They then compared the DNA on these items to that found at the crime scene where Sarah Yarborough was discovered. The DNA from the items matched the DNA found at the crime scene.
Who killed Sarah Yarborough?
Patrick Nicholas was 55 years old when he was arrested and charged with beating and strangling Sarah Yarborough with her stockings. Nicholas had reportedly served time in prison from 1983 when he was convicted of attempted rape. However, ABC News reported that his DNA was never entered into CODIS. In 1993, Nicholas was charged with child molestation and pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor assault.
Fox 13 reported that Patrick Nicholas was found guilty of first and second-degree murder with sexual motivation in the murder of Sarah Yarborough. Nicholas was also accused of pre-meditated first-degree murder, which the court acquitted him of. He was then sentenced to more than 45 years in prison. After his prison sentence, he must also engage in 3 years of community custody. The court found that Sarah had been raped at strangled.
During the trial, the police revealed that they found a photo of Sarah Yarborough on the front page of a newspaper in Patrick Nicholas’ house. The search through his home also revealed that he had cut out a photograph of a woman cheerleading from a magazine. These were among the several shreds of evidence that detectives presented to prove Nicholas guilty.
Several generations of King County investigators reportedly investigated Sarah’s murder. This was until genetic genealogy allowed a breakthrough in the case, CBS News reported.
