Westmoreland County Police make an arrest in a murder case from 1985.
16-year-old Lottie Jo Gunn was found dead along Turner Valley Road in North Huntingdon on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend 1985.
An autopsy showed the Ohio teenager had been stabbed several times.
The FBI and Akron Police determined she was one of several young runaways who had become part of an interstate prostitution ring.
Now modern science has helped police link suspect 61-year-old James Kruczek of West Mifflin to the case.
Investigators say an acquaintance of his told police Kruczek admitted to picking up the girl, killing her and then dumping her body.
After obtaining Kruczek's DNA through a search warrant, lab tests found a match of the girl's clothing.
Kruczek is now facing one count of criminal homicide.
“Through the use of modern technology and the relentless, unwavering efforts by detectives, I am thankful and relieved to announce an arrest in this unsolved homicide case,” said Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. “Lottie Jo’s family waited an excruciating four decades for answers. While her parents are no longer with us to hear those answers, I am proud of the groundwork our detectives poured into this case in an effort to pursue justice.”
16-year-old Lottie Jo Gunn was found dead in North Huntingdon in 1985
16-year-old Lottie Jo Gunn was found dead in North Huntingdon in 1985
