Manitoba

Winnipeg man charged with 1st-degree murder of woman in the U.S. 27 years ago

A Winnipeg man has been charged with first-degree murder of an American woman 27 years ago in New Jersey and extradited to the U.S.

Investigation picked back up in early 2023 after advanced DNA testing was used

A woman smiles while twirling her hair. A water bottler and cup on the table in front of her.
This photo of Tamara Tignor, 23, was taken in 1997. She was found dead later that year. (Somerset County Police Department)

A Winnipeg man has been charged with first-degree murder of an American woman 27 years ago in New Jersey and extradited to the U.S.

Robert Creter, now 60, was working as a day labourer in Bridgewater, N.J., when the body of 23-year-old Tamara Tignor was found, said a news release from New Jersey prosecutors and police.

Tignor's body was found on a dirt access road near Washington Valley Park on Nov. 4, 1997. She was from Newark, N.J.

The case went cold until January 2023, when detectives from both the Somerset Country Prosecutor's Officer and the New Jersey State Police used more advanced DNA testing and got a match for Robert Creter, the news release said Monday.

Somerset County Police Chief Frank Roman did not comment on how the DNA was matched to Creter or whether he had any past criminal convictions. Roman also could not comment on whether the two knew each other. 

A portrait of a man with a moustache and a grey shirt.
Robert Creter is shown this year at age 60. (Somerset County Police Department)

Creter, a Canadian citizen, relocated to Winnipeg in 2002, where he's been living until now, police said.

Creter was arrested in Winnipeg in June and was extradited to the U.S. in November.

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