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Authorities in Illinois have identified suspected serial killer Bruce Lindahl as the killer in a 1979 cold-case murder.

The breakthrough came after decades of investigation, thanks to new DNA evidence that linked Lindahl to the crime. Although the suspect died decades ago this brings long-awaited closure to the case.

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 Kathy Halle

In March 1979, 19-year-old Kathy Halle went missing while on her way to pick up her sister from a shopping center in North Aurora.

Initially the case was treated as a missing person’s investigation. But three weeks later, Halle’s body was discovered in the Fox River, about 40 miles west of Chicago.

Detective Ryan Peat of the North Aurora Police Department explained during a recent news conference that despite authorities' early efforts, they couldn't gather enough evidence to identify a suspect. And the case went cold.

 Lindahl Linked to Multiple Murders

The case took a significant turn in 2020 when authorities linked DNA from Lindahl to the 1976 strangling of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer.

Maurer’s body was found by a motorist along a roadside in Lisle, Illinois. This new information prompted investigators to revisit Halle’s case. Lindahl had already been connected to several other crimes in the area from the same time period.

Peat confirmed that North Aurora authorities used advanced forensic technologies to analyze DNA found on Halle’s clothing. It was ultimately matched to Lindahl’s DNA, which had been collected during the investigation into Maurer’s murder.

"With this new evidence, along with the evidence from similar cases involving Lindahl, we are able to conclude Lindahl was responsible for the death of Kathy Halle," Peat said.

A Suspect with a Violent History

Lindahl’s violent tendencies were well documented. In 1980, he was a suspect in the rape and kidnapping of Debra Colliander.

Colliander was abducted from a suburban shopping center but managed to escape and alert police.

Lindahl was arrested, but after posting bail, he was released. Days before she was set to testify at his trial, Colliander vanished.

Her body was discovered in a shallow grave in 1982, months after Lindahl's death. The cause of death was undetermined, but it was ruled a homicide.

In 1981, Lindahl died in an apartment in Naperville after accidentally slashing an artery in his leg while fatally stabbing an 18-year-old man. His remains were exhumed in 2019 for DNA testing, which led to his posthumous connection to multiple murders.

With DNA evidence now shedding light on unsolved crimes investigators believe that Lindahl may be connected to other murders in the area.