Midwest
DNA helps Illinois police make breakthrough in 1970s cold case murder of 19-year-old
Suspected 1970s serial killer Bruce Lindahl has been identified as the culprit in a 1979 cold case murder through DNA evidence, Illinois authorities announced Wednesday.
In a surprising turn of events, the clothing 19-year-old Kathy Halle was wearing at the time of her mysterious disappearance March 29, 1979, has been linked to Lindahl.
North Aurora Police Det. Ryan Peat said at a news conference that, on the night of her disappearance, Halle left her apartment to pick up her sister at the Northgate Shopping Center in Aurora, Illinois, but she never returned. Her body was found in a river several weeks later.
The case stayed cold for decades, until advancements of DNA testing prompted investigators to reopen the case.
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This undated file photo provided by the Lisle, Ill., Police Department shows Bruce Lindahl. (Lisle Police Department via AP)
In 2019, Peat said, police in nearby Lisle, Illinois, reopened the 1976 murder case of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer and used DNA to link Lindahl to the slaying.
In 2020, North Aurora detectives met with the Lisle Police Department, and evidence was scrutinized from Halle’s case and sent for additional testing, Peat said. The detective shared that the DNA was too degraded for a clear conclusion that Lindahl was responsible.
In 2022, the North Aurora Police Department learned that there was a box of evidence with Lindahl’s belongings at the police department in Naperville, Illinois. Peat said that evidence showed that Lindahl often visited where Halle worked.
Peat said he turned to a new DNA tool, the “M-Vac,” which can assist in collecting DNA from older cases.
In August, results showed that Lindahl’s DNA was found on Halle’s clothing. Investigators concluded that she was taken from her home and murdered that night in March 1979.
In March 1979, Kathy Halle disappeared en route to pick up her sister. (FOX 32)
“This was a long and challenging investigation, but today we’re able to give the Halle family the answers they’ve waited decades for,” Peat said.
Lindahl, who is believed to have killed as many as a dozen women and girls, died in April 1981 while stabbing a man to death in Naperville. During the struggle, Lindahl somehow stabbed himself in a femoral artery. His body was found atop the victim’s.
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If Lindahl were still alive, he would have been charged in Halle’s murder based on the new evidence, according to State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser.
“This case would have been charged in a court of law had Bruce Lindahl not died in 1981. His pattern of violence, combined with the DNA evidence we now have, leaves no doubt that he was responsible for Kathy’s tragic death. While we cannot prosecute Lindahl, the family now knows the truth, and justice — though delayed — has finally been served for Kathy,” Mosser said during the press briefing.
Detective Ryan Peat said the DNA present on Halle’s clothing matched Lindahl’s. (FOX 32)
Halle’s family said in a statement that revisiting the case had been difficult, but they are grateful to have closure after 45 years.
“Thanks to advancements in DNA technology and groundbreaking investigative tools, we are hopeful that other families won’t have to endure the same pain and uncertainty that we faced for so many years,” the family said. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the North Aurora Police Department and all the agencies and organizations involved for their dedication, persistence, and for never giving up, even when the odds seemed impossible.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the North Aurora Police Department for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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A Michigan State student appeared to be brandishing a knife and running toward officers when he was shot in multiple waves of police gunfire, according to body camera video of the deadly confrontation released Friday.
MSU senior Isaiah Kirby, a 21-year-old Maryland native, was killed on April 15, and Friday marked the first time video of the fatal gunfire was shown to the public.
East Lansing police were called to Lake Lansing and Abbot roads on a theft call that “evolved into a stabbing by a suspect, which turned into an officer-involved shooting,” the department has said.
The officers’ video showed them driving to the scene when a man, identified by police as Kirby, came running toward them in the middle of the road. Kirby was brought down by an initial hail of gunfire as he came in their direction, video showed.
Kirby, screaming in agony, was on his knees as officers ordered him to drop a knife, according to video. Police then shot Kirby in two more hails of gunfire, with the first and last shots coming about 17 seconds apart, video showed.
“I want to thank the officers and employees of the East Lansing Police Department for their continued professionalism during this investigation,” said East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown, who narrated the video.
“Furthermore, I want to thank the East Lansing community for their patience and understanding as this investigation proceeds,” she said.
Karyn Kirby, the slain student’s mother, and family attorney Teresa Bingman did not immediately return calls seeking comment early Friday evening.
Kirby’s family was shown heavily redacted footage last week that the slain student’s loved ones said didn’t show why deadly force was necessary.
“Where’s my truth? Where’s my transparency?” Karyn Kirby told supporters earlier this week.
“We have asked from the onset, to see raw, clear, unedited video,” she added. “That’s all I ask. It’s not that hard, right?”
The Michigan State Police are continuing to investigate the use of force by East Lansing officers, officials said.
East Lansing police identified the four officers involved in the shooting: field training officer Beck Martin, who has been on the job for three years; two-year veteran officer Brennan Surman; officer Benjamin Saylor, who has been on the job for one year; and officer Zane Johnson Chasteen, who has been on the job for three months and was paired with Martin.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Families and officers gathered outside the state capitol on Friday to remember and honor Minnesota’s fallen law enforcement officers.
Families honor loved ones killed in the line of duty
What we know:
The Peace Officers Memorial Day event began with a 24-hour vigil Thursday night, where officers from around Minnesota stood guard at the memorial.
The day included moments of silence, the playing of Taps and several wreath-laying ceremonies.
“Every once in a while, something tragic happens and somebody dies in the line of duty,” said Chief Brian Hubbard, president of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association, which organized the service.
According to organizers, 314 officers have died in the line of duty in Minnesota.
Behind every name is a family, a story and painful memory.
Tina Arendt of Cold Spring was young when her father, Stearns County Senior Sheriff’s Deputy Edwin Arendt, 61, died in the line of duty in November 1987. On Friday, she laid a wreath in his memory.
“It was just a random accident out in the middle of the country, and he didn’t make it home,” she recalled. “Things I remember about him – he loved his job. He loved being out helping people. There wasn’t a day that he wasn’t proud and honored to wear the badge.”
The event was as much about supporting families as it was about honoring the fallen.
“The main heart behind doing this is to make sure that those family members, those survivors left behind, know that we won’t forget about them,” said Hubbard.
The vigil and service at the memorial
Timeline:
The 24-hour silent vigil began Thursday night and ends Friday night. Officers took turns standing guard at the memorial throughout the day and night.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A resident of a home was able to escape serious injury Friday following a house fire in Kansas City, Missouri.
Crews were dispatched around 12:33 p.m. Friday to the 8000 block of Euclid Avenue in Kansas City.
The one-story residence had “heavy smoke and fire” showing when firefighters arrived, per a press release from KCFD.
The fire department brought one person from inside the house to safety, and the individual did not need medical treatment.
City Planning and Dangerous Buildings was requested.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
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