Seattle Police charge man with 1978 murder of 15-year-old

[flamingyouth]

I couldn't believe this news at last. I grew up with her younger brother (mentioned in the story) and this case is the reason I became interested in true crime, specifically cold cases. To say we've all been waiting for this day for a long time is the understatement of the century.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/336600_cold24.html

On July 2, 1978, she and a girlfriend saw a movie downtown and took the bus back home to Ballard. She was last seen walking from the bus stop toward her house on 20th Avenue Northwest. Her body was found the next day in the men's room of a gas station on Leary Avenue, more than a mile away. She'd been stabbed in the neck, chest and head.

Police concluded she'd almost made it home. A neighbor reported hearing a scream and the screech of tires. Lundquist's purse and clogs turned up in an alley.

At the time, police made a public plea for clues. Her father and others later offered a $5,000 reward for information, but the case eventually reached a dead end.

<snip>

Ciesynski began looking into the girl's unsolved killing after a call a few years ago from Lundquist's brother, who'd occasionally checked with police over the years.

He tracked down old reports and remnants of the investigation: The denim outfit Lundquist had worn -- a ticket stub for "Damien: Omen II" still tucked into a pocket -- and the key: microscopic evidence that she may have been sexually assaulted.

He sent the evidence, found inside the girl's clothing, to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, where scientists and today's DNA technology revealed a genetic profile. They entered it in a database of convicted felons' profiles last year and found a match with Williams, Ciesynski said.

The onetime shipyard sandblaster was in prison for killing Laura Anne Baylis, 21, not long after Lundquist's death.

[raccoon]

1. Thanks for the link. This is an interesting story.

To me, it's always interesting to hear about a cold case finally solved by DNA evidence.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

2. That poor family.

Knowing that the murderer was still at large for all those years.

I hope they find closure.

[BlueIris]

3. Geeze; it sounds like you and the family have had a long, hellish wait. nt

[shenmue]

4. Glad they found someone.