Alan Bass Identified in 1981 Baltimore Murder

Baltimore County police say DNA testing identified 75-year-old Alan Bass, who is serving five life sentences in Delaware for rape, as the suspect in the Aug. 2, 1981, fatal shooting of 59-year-old Samuel Allen in his Liberty Road home. The intruder—described as wearing surgical gloves and carrying a cloth bag—shot Allen in front of his wife and daughter and left behind a bag and a shirt that were preserved as evidence. After Allen’s daughter Anne re-engaged investigators in 2023, the items were sent for DNA analysis; late-2024 testing produced a lead and follow-up testing in January 2025 confirmed Bass’s DNA matched the evidence. Baltimore County obtained a warrant charging Bass but will not extradite him from Delaware at this time because of significant health issues, though authorities say he could be prosecuted if his custody status changes. Anne attended the announcement, said the identification gave her closure, and has donated $30,000 to fund DNA testing in other cold cases as detectives pursue dozens more unsolved investigations.