The murder of a Strasburg woman, a cold case from 27 years ago, may finally be solved after police announced an arrest.
For anyone who has followed the case over the years, the suspect shouldn’t come as a big surprise.
In 2021, Virginia State Police sent out a news bulletin announcing it had submitted DNA for testing into the 1998 murder of Sylena Jo Dalton.
More than four years later, the test results point to one man: the father of Dalton’s child, Daniel E. Pompell, 56, of Culpeper.
Dalton, who was 20 at the time, was found stabbed to death on a couch inside her second-floor apartment on Charles Street in Strasburg on July 27, 1998. She had not been seen since Pompell left the residence earlier that morning. Investigators believe she died between 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Her 10-week-old daughter, Allyson Kathleen Dalton, was with Dalton that morning and went missing and has never been seen again.
After Dalton’s body was found, Pompell told state police agents he had been at the residence the morning of the murder. Witnesses told police they saw him outside the apartment with a bundle under his arm.
Neighbors told police that they did not hear screams, and there was no disturbance at the apartment on the day of the homicide.
Pompell has been charged with one count of murder. He was taken into custody without incident on Friday.
No information was released on whether the infant, who would now be 27 years old, was found, or if additional charges are pending.
In 2021, State Police said that Pompell was cooperating with the investigation and was hopeful to locate his infant daughter.
ICYMI
Agents from the BCI Culpeper Field Office and analysts assigned to Homeland Security’s violent crime analytical support team contributed to the investigation.
“We are pleased to be able to bring this case to this point and bring some overdue closure to the family of Sylena Jo Dalton,” said John Defilippi, with the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Culpeper field office. “We are thankful for all the hard work agents and analysts put into this case to make this arrest possible.”
The Shenandoah County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will be prosecuting the case.
Shenandoah County Commonwealth’s Attorney Elizabeth Cooper said in a statement that her office is prepared to ensure justice is served on behalf of Dalton and her family.
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Crystal Graham
