Although several arrests have been made during the homicide investigation of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann, there are still no suspects in the case, police said Monday.
Zimmermann, 21, was killed in her West Doty Street apartment Wednesday. As investigators continued to comb the Bassett neighborhood for clues, police arrested several people after questioning them about the events leading up to Zimmermann's death.
Madison Police Department public information officer Joel DeSpain said the arrests were for probation holds or other crimes unrelated to the homicide. One of the arrests included a man who reportedly asked for money and entered a home on nearby West Washington Avenue. Police arrested him for a probation hold.
Police are hopeful evidence collected at Zimmermann's apartment will provide a DNA sample of her killer.
We're looking for anything that would appear to us particularly to have forensic value '¦ anything we believe might have the DNA of the suspect or suspects on it,"" DeSpain said.
Items tested in the Jan. 28 homicide of Joel Marino yielded DNA from the person police believe is responsible for the killing. DeSpain said forensic testing could show a connection between the two homicides.
""If we are able to find DNA, it could either provide a very strong link to the Marino case or it may distance us in linking the two cases.""
DeSpain said it could take days or even weeks before the results of the forensic analysis are available. Kevin St. John, special assistant to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, said the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory will analyze the evidence in a timely fashion.
""The State Crime Lab gives priority to cases involving homicides or other violent crimes '¦ we process evidence as soon as [it] can be done.""
Funeral services took place Monday in Zimmermann's hometown of Marshfield, Wis. The university offered a free bus ride to the ceremony for students wishing to attend.
