MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. TCN— A 72-year-old man was arrested in Delaware for allegedly stabbing and killing his girlfriend in 1996, then leaving her body in a ditch.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, on December 15, 1996, deputies found a woman’s body in a drainage canal on U.S. 41 in Palmetto. The victim had been stabbed 83 times but showed no signs of sexual assault. Seven months later, the woman was identified as 45-year-old Doris Korell through dental records.
At the time of her disappearance, Korell’s daughter had reported her missing on December 11, 1996. Korell’s boyfriend, Stephen Ford, had called her daughter asking if she had seen Korell after an argument. Ford claimed Korell had gone shopping on December 9 and never returned.
Detectives found Korell’s car at a mall, wiped clean of evidence. They also discovered Ford had rented a storage unit and put Korell’s belongings in it. Ford denied any involvement in her disappearance but allegedly told detectives, If I killed her, I should get the death penalty.
When detectives searched Ford’s home, they found a suicide note and signs that suggested he expected Korell wouldn’t be found alive. A week later, they found Ford after a suicide attempt, having swallowed bleach.
Despite the evidence, the case went cold for years. However, in 2017, the Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation. Friends had said Korell was afraid of Ford, and the two had financial and domestic issues.
In July 2024, some of Korell’s DNA was sent for testing. Detectives believed Ford’s actions and statements showed guilt. He was arrested in Delaware on August 16, 2024, and later extradited to Florida on August 30. He now faces second-degree murder charges.