A surprising breakthrough has been made in a decades-old cold case murder in California, as the killer has been identified through DNA.
The gruesome murder took place in 1986, when the body of 19-year-old Cathy Small was found in the middle of a leafy South Pasadena street. The teen had been stabbed and strangled — but her killer has never been found, until now.
Police announced that Small’s killer is notorious serial killer William Lester Suff, 73, also known as the Riverside Prostitute Killer and the Lake Elsinore Killer.
Suff is already on death row for the murders of twelve other women, whom he killed between the 1980s and early 1990s.
During a press conference on Tuesday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna confirmed the identity of the killer.
In 1986, the body of 19-year-old Cathy Small (pictured) was found in the middle of the 800 block of Bank Street in South Pasadena
Sufficient confessed to Small’s murder after being confronted with DNA evidence, officials said.
“It is horrific that her life was ended in such a violent and tragic way,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
According to the sheriff’s department, the case has haunted the community for decades.
“Today we stand here to announce that there will be justice for Cathy and her family. Although nearly four decades have passed, law enforcement has never given up on this case,” Barger said.
Other confirmed victims of Suff include: Rhonda Jetmore, Kimberly Lyttle, Christina Leal, Darla Jane Ferguson, Carol Lynn Miller, Cheryl Coker, Susan Melissa Sternfeld, Kathleen Leslie Milne, Sherry Ann Latham, Kelly Marie Hammond, Catherine McDonald, Delliah Zamora, and Eleanor Casares.
There are several other murders attributed to Suff, although he has never been charged.
The killer, Suff (pictured), is already on death row for the murders of twelve other women, whom he killed between the 1980s and early 1990s.
Suff was eventually arrested in 1992 after a routine traffic stop, where a police officer found a bloody knife and items believed to be related to the murders.
A jury in Riverside County found Suff guilty of murdering 12 women and attempting to murder another woman.
This cold case is just the latest of many that have been solved using DNA technology. Similar tests have been used to catch monsters like the Golden State Killer and the Grim Sleeper.
DNA was first used to investigate a criminal case in 1986. Since then, thanks to advances in genealogical research, hundreds of cases have been solved.
Genetic genealogy, which involves entering a DNA profile into a public database to find relatives, has become a powerful tool for identifying suspects who leave DNA at crime scenes.