DNA links serial killer to 45-year-old cold case in Illinois

The police department said in a statement that it concluded Lindahl was responsible for Halle’s death, based on “definitive” DNA evidence and patterns of Lindahl’s known crimes.

North Aurora Police Chief Joseph DeLeo described Wednesday as “a day both solemn and proud” for their community.

“Today, we honor Kathy Halle and her memory, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to ensure that every victim receives the justice they deserve,” he told reporters at a news conference .

Halle left her home in North Aurora on March 29, 1979, to pick up her sister at Northgate Mall in nearby Aurora, but did not arrive and a missing persons investigation was launched.

However, three weeks later, on April 24, his body was found in the Fox River.

After decades of investigation, his death was considered a cold case as no new evidence was found.

North Aurora Police Detective Ryan Peat said during the news conference that in 2019, police in the nearby village of Lisle made a breakthrough in the case of Pam Maurer, who was murdered in the mid-1970s. Family DNA had linked Lindahl to his death.

After that, Lindahl became a suspect in several unsolved cases and Halle’s investigation was reopened in 2020.

In August, DNA Labs International of Deerfield Beach, Florida, confirmed that DNA found on Halle’s clothing belonged to Lindahl.

Peat said they now believe that the night Halle went missing, Lindahl abducted her from the parking lot of her apartment complex, then drove her to the Fox River neighborhood where her body was later discovered .

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser told reporters that if Lindahl were still alive, they would have charged and tried him.

“To the family, I want you to know that this would have been a case that we would have charged, that we would have actively pursued and I am confident that based on the work of the North Aurora detectives and all of the scientists involved in this case, the DNA labs, we would have finally gotten justice for Kathy,” she said.

The Halle family said in a statement read by Deputy Chief Joseph Gorski at the news conference that while it has been painful to reexamine the case, they are “deeply grateful to finally have some closure.”

“With advances in DNA technology and revolutionary investigative tools, we hope that other families will not have to endure the same pain and uncertainty that we have faced for so many years” , said the family.

Authorities said they hoped the breakthrough would help close other unsolved cases.