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DNA leads to arrest of Hawaii man in 1982 California killing

Posted at 2:06 PM, Aug 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-10 09:28:11-04

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — DNA technology has helped investigators make an arrest in the 1992 slaying of a 15-year-old girl who was abducted in Northern California from a bus stop, raped and killed.

A 75-year-old Hawaii man is in custody.

The Mercury News reports Karen Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982. A delivery truck driver discovered her body among some bushes 100 yards away from the bus stop.

The newspaper reported that Sunnyvale police arrested Gary Ramirez in Maui last week after they say his DNA matched the blood from Karen’s leather jacket and the 4-foot cinder block wall where the killer left her after stabbing her 59 times.

It was not immediately clear if he has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.