PAHRUMP, NV (FOX5) -
Police have identified an 81-year-old sex offender as a person of interest in the case of a Nye County woman who went missing in 2006.
Maureen Fields went missing on February 15, 2006. She never showed up for work at Wells Fargo bank, where she was employed, and has not been seen since.
Nye County Sheriff's Office detectives located her vehicle shortly after her disappearance in the desert just outside of Pahrump in Inyo County.
Deputies said investigators found a small trace of vomit with a little bit of blood. It was a small DNA sample that, they said, was difficult to match.
"There were changes to what was allowed in codes back then and the technology of extracting DNA," David Boruchowitz with the Nye County Sheriff's office said. "The lab was able to extract a better sample and put that into [the Chemical Oxygen Demand text], which is ultimately what led to that hit, finally."
In August, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Forensic Laboratory identified the male DNA profile found on pantyhose within the vehicle, and determined the DNA belonged to Keith Holmes, 81, from Pearblossom, California.
Keith Holmes is a registered sex offender from California, according to the sheriff's office.
Detective still are not sure if or how Holmes met Fields.
"We have no idea," Boruchowitz said. "Anything would be speculation, obviously. We're keeping an open mind until we can put the pieces together."
A big piece of the puzzle is still missing - Holmes, himself.
An investigation revealed that Holmes began traveling to Pahrump around 2006 and usually traveled in his 1965 Ford camper.
Detectives originally suspected her husband, Paul Fields. According to detectives, Maureen and Paul were fighting shortly before her disappearance.
She had told a co-worker that if she goes missing, it was because of her husband, according to detectives.
FOX5 attempted to talk to Paul Fields on Wednesday, but he could not be reached for comment.
While deputies still cannot definitely rule Paul out as a suspect, they say the case is now headed in a different direction.
"This is just the start now, and we need to go that way," Boruchowitz said. The investigation has gotten bigger, ultimately."
NCSO detectives are asking anyone with information about Holmes, and anyone who may recognize his vehicle, to call 775-751-7000. Information can also be submitted confidentially to ncso_detectives@co.nye.nv.us.
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Keith Holmes (Photo from NCSO)
Maureen Fields (Photo from The CharleyProject.org)
1965 Ford camper
