A 79-year-old man has been arrested after investigators linked him to a decades-old murder case using DNA samples found in his trash.
On February 13 1981, a Braniff Airlines flight attendant named Beverly Bruneau was found strangled in her apartment in Grapevine, Texas.
Her murder has gone unsolved for more than 45 years. However, recent DNA analyses have led to the arrest of Larry Dean Brown who has been charged with her murder.
As per the Independent , authorities said that blood found on Bruneau’s clothing back in 1981 was preserved, but went untested for decades. When it was first tested in 2010, it did not match with anybody in the police database.
However, after digging through Brown’s trash and using a variety of items including barbecue sauce and soda bottles, DNA testing carried out with new technology matched the blood found on her clothing.
Brown was questioned at the time of the murder because of his connection to the victim. His wife, Thelma, was Bruneau’s best friend and work colleague. At the time, police also found a fresh injury on Brown’s thumb but did not arrest him.
Authorities have claimed that the murder may have been the result of a financial dispute involving a house that was jointly owned by Thelma and Bruneau. Brown’s behavior toward Bruneau was reportedly threatening.
Authorities allege that he might be responsible for a fire that damaged the home while she was out of town, and that he pressured her to sign inflated insurance documents. Family members of Bruneau said that her refusal to do so led to a confrontation that left her “afraid” of Brown.
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