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The authorities arrested a man suspected of killing a girl from Southern California more than 45 years ago. James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following the death of Linda O 'Keefe, 11, in Newport Beach. (February 20th)
AP

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) – Investigators have been searching for decades for the murderer of an 11-year-old missing girl while she was walking home from a summer school, in a case involving a Californian seaside community.

A smiling photo of Linda O'Keefe is hanging on the wall of the Newport Beach Police Department, reminding investigators to continue to advance cases as serious as her own.

More than four decades later, Southern California authorities announced Wednesday that a Colorado man had been arrested and charged with murdering him in 1973. The announcement was made during the day. even where the authorities claimed to have indicted a man for killing an 11-year-old boy near Los Angeles Angeles in 1990.

In the case of Linda, the authorities stated that they were affected last month by a genealogical database, which corresponds to a DNA sample taken when her body was found strangled in a ditch a day after her death. absence. Investigators have increasingly found a powerful tool in databases consisting of DNA samples submitted by people seeking to know more about their ancestry.

"The detectives have sued the case," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters, without specifying whether the suspect or his relatives had submitted DNA for genealogical purposes. "We have every opportunity in the world to solve as many cold cases as we have never hoped to solve before."

James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Tuesday and charged with murder under special circumstances, Spitzer said.

This undated photo provided by the Newport Beach Police Department shows Linda O 'Keefe. (Photo11: Newport Beach Police Department / AP)

"He looked like a good guy," said Neal's owner, Michael Thulson, at the Colorado Springs Gazette. "I had no indication that he was capable of anything, even 10 not less than that, which just shows you what you do not know."

Neal's son-in-law told the newspaper that the family was not ready to comment. It was not clear right away if Neal had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf and if the voicemail was full of the number indicated for him.

Neal was scheduled to appear in Colorado court on Thursday.

In Los Angeles County, authorities announced that Edward Donell Thomas, 50, had been accused of kidnapping and killing William Tillett. The boy disappeared in 1990 while returning home to Inglewood while walking home. His body was found in a dark shelter later in the day. The coroner determined that he had been choked.

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Thomas, explained Inglewood Police Chief Mark Fronterotta, to the press, without revealing the details.

Fronterotta said the investigators did not believe that Thomas had acted alone. He and the boy's brother urged anyone with information to come forward.

"I just want to keep momentum," said Hubert Tillett.

The police chief was in the police force at the time and said that the case left "an indelible mark in my mind, in my heart".

Thomas was held without bail and it was unclear if he had a lawyer. His appearance is scheduled for April 4.

In Newport Beach, O'Keefe returned home after her summer school in July 1973, after she disappeared. She was last seen speaking to a stranger in a van and never went home, said police chief Jon Lewis.

His family and friends sought him out and called the police. The next morning, his body was found.

The authorities said that they had never abandoned the search for his killer, even after decades and the death of his parents. The suspect's DNA profile was uploaded to a criminal database in 2001, but there was no access for years, officials said.

They had a success this year in a genealogical database, which led investigators to obtain a DNA sample from Neal, and that corresponded, said Spitzer.

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Neal lived in southern California at the time of O'Keefe's assassination and moved to Florida shortly after, where he changed his name, Spitzer said. The prosecutor refused to say if Neal had a criminal record.

The two living sisters of O'Keefe have been informed of the arrest, the authorities said. Over the years, hundreds of people have worked on this case, said the police chief.

One of them was Stan Bressler, a Newport Beach Police Officer, now retired. He said that O'Keefe's death had stunned the community and had never been forgotten.

"From time to time, you just say," God, I wonder if we'll ever find him, "he said.

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