DNA helps Illinois police make a breakthrough in the unsolved murder of a 19-year-old in the 1970s

Suspected 1970s serial killer Bruce Lindahl has been identified through DNA evidence as the perpetrator in a 1979 cold case murder, Illinois authorities announced Wednesday.

In a surprising turn of events, clothing worn by 19-year-old Kathy Halle at the time of her mysterious disappearance on 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 a few weeks later.

The case remained unsolved for decades until advances in DNA testing led investigators to reopen the case.

LANE BRYANT MASSACRE: CRIMINAL PROFILER SAYS ARRESTS COULD COME IN 2008. MURDER OF 5 IN A WOMEN'S CLOTHING SHOP

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 killing.

In 2020, North Aurora detectives met with Lisle police and evidence from Halle's case was reviewed and sent for further review, Peat said. The detective advised that the DNA was too compromised to make a firm conclusion that Lindahl was responsible.

In 2022, the North Aurora Police Department learned that there was an evidence box containing Lindahl's belongings at the police station in Naperville, Illinois. Peat said there was evidence that Lindahl frequently visited the workplace where Halle worked.

Peat said he has turned to a new DNA tool, the “M-Vac,” that can help collect DNA from older cases.

In August, results showed Lindahl's DNA was found on Halle's clothing. Investigators concluded that she was abducted from her home and murdered on the same night in March 1979.

In March 1979, Kathy Halle disappeared on her way to pick up her sister. (FOX 32)

“This has been a long and challenging investigation, but today we are able to give the Halle family the answers they have waited decades for,” Peat said.

Lindahl, believed to have killed up to a dozen women and girls, died in April 1981 after stabbing a man in Naperville. During the fight, Lindahl somehow stabbed himself in a femoral artery. His body was found on top of the victim's.

A teacher's unlikely “suicide” verdict is revealed as web detectives delve into surveillance videos

If Lindahl were still alive, he would have been charged with Halle's murder based on the new evidence, according to prosecutor Jamie Mosser.

“This case would have gone to trial if Bruce Lindahl had 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 has finally been served to Kathy – albeit delayed – Mosser said during the press conference.

Detective Ryan Peat said the DNA on Halle's clothing matched Lindahl's. (FOX 32)

Halle's family said in a statement that it was difficult to revisit the case, but they were grateful that the case could be closed after 45 years.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Thanks to advances in DNA technology and groundbreaking investigative tools, we hope that other families will not have to endure the same pain and uncertainty we have faced for so many years,” the family said. “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the North Aurora Police Department and all agencies and organizations involved for their dedication, perseverance 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.