Police in Northern California announced the arrest of a man in the cold case rape and murder of a 42-year-old girl, saying relatively new DNA technology points to the suspect.
James Unick, 62, of Willows, about 85 miles northwest of Sacramento, was booked Monday night into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of murder, rape, lewd acts with a minor by force, kidnapping for sexual abuse and a special circumstance allegation of murder during a kidnapping, according to inmate records.
He was being held without bail. It was unclear Tuesday night whether he has legal representation. The Sonoma County Public Defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sara Ann Geer, 13, was found murdered in downtown Cloverdale, about 120 miles southwest of Willows, on May 24, 1982, police said. She was kidnapped and raped, they said.
Evidence containing DNA was collected, but the technology was not advanced enough to use it to track a suspect until recent years, Cloverdale police said.
“A male DNA profile was identified from evidence and through the use of modern DNA genetic genealogy technology,” the department said.
The popularization of consumer kits for tracking DNA and heritage traits has created huge databases for police to compare DNA evidence. Likewise, detectives can query databases of suspects, defendants, and convicted felons who have been required to submit DNA to find close matches that could lead them to relatives.
With genealogy, investigators may not get an exact answer, but they can get close enough to establish whether a suspect might be among a group of siblings or other relatives. This can lead to surveillance and undercover operations to collect discarded food, cups and eating utensils from a possible suspect in their search for an exact DNA match.
DNA genealogy was used in the arrest and conviction of “Golden State Killer” Joseph DeAngelo and “Grim Sleeper” Lonnie Franklin Jr.
Police began considering reopening Sara Ann’s cold case in 2019 and in July 2021 made it official by hiring a private investigation firm to help, according to a statement at the time.
Investigators hoped “the latest technological advancement” would shed new light on Sara Ann’s death, according to the police statement.
Detectives also blamed social media rumors about her case for making the investigation more difficult. “Misleading information posted on social media… has already threatened to compromise the integrity of the investigation moving forward,” Cloverdale police said in 2021.
On Tuesday, Cloverdale Mayor Todd Lands said in a statement: “Today, we stand united in solidarity with the Geer family as we witness the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance on the part of our law enforcement officers. This arrest means not only a step toward closure, but also a reiteration of our commitment to ensuring safety and justice for all in Cloverdale.”
Todd Miyazawa contributed.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
