A 1975 cold case in Howard County was put to rest Tuesday after police announced the killer is a man who is already serving a life sentence in a Maryland prison.

At a news conference, police said a closer look at some evidence led them to Charles William Davis Jr. -- a convicted killer in his 70s. The homicide case involves 20-year-old Roseann Sturtz, who was found dead in a wooded area of Columbia. 

According to county records, Sturtz was last seen alive in August 1975 outside the Tic Toc Club on Eutaw Street in downtown Baltimore. A relative reported her missing later that evening.

In December 1975, her body was found near what is now Oakland Ridge Industrial Park off Route 108.

Sturtz's coworkers helped identify her after a sketch was posted in a newspaper, according to county records.

Police were also able to tie Davis to the crime because he confessed to it.

Police recover lost evidence

Cpl. Wade Zufall took over the case in 2022 and started looking over every single piece of evidence in the case again. During that search, he found a 1981 letter by the then Howard County State's Attorney offering blanket immunity from prosecution to Davis for information about Sturtz's death.

Zufall also found a 1981 recording of a police detective's interview with Davis.

"I think if you know anything about the case, or if you're involved in that case, I'd like for you to tell me about it. Tell me what you know," one of the detectives is heard saying.

During that interview, Davis acknowledged he knew about Sturtz's case, but didn't identify her as one of his victims. 

It seemed like a dead end, but Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der said Zufall didn't give up.

"There was no DNA to test, no witness to her death, and little physical evidence," Der said. "But, that did not deter him."

Connecting with Davis

Zufall started corresponding with Davis, who has been incarcerated at Jessup Correctional Institution since 1978 for murder convictions around the same time as Sturtz's death.

Eventually, within the last year, Zufall brought Davis to HCPD's northern headquarters in Ellicott City for an interview.

During this interview, Zufall showed a different photo of Sturtz -- a mugshot -- and this time, Davis positively identified Sturtz.

"She still had the scar," Davis said while looking at the photo.

Davis ultimately confessed to being responsible for Sturtz's death, according to Zufall, saying he wanted to give the family closure.

When asked about details of Davis's confession at Tuesday's news conference, Zufall said Davis recounted "[He and Sturtz] got into an argument, and then that's when a physical confrontation had occurred."

Davis ended up strangling Sturtz, according to Zufall.

Davis is already serving three life sentences plus 45 years for his past convictions. 

Howard County State's Attorney Rich Howard said his office has reaffirmed the blanket immunity deal from 1981, meaning Davis can't be charged for Sturtz's death.

However, he will remain in prison for the rest of his life.

Zufall said it's been an honor solving this case.

"One of the things I told [Sturtz's] sisters yesterday [was] if there's such thing as closure, I hope I was able to provide them with that,"Zufall said.

None of Sturtz's family was present at the news conference announcing Davis's involvement, but they issued a statement about it.

"In November 2024, we were grateful to have all the case details, learned Roseann's actual date of death and receive the closure we have been praying for all these years -- finally put to rest the answers we never had," Sturtz's family said in a statement.

Second oldest Howard County cold case

The 50-year-old cold case is the second oldest in the county. According to records, the oldest cold case in Howard County is the homicide of an unidentified woman in 1971. 

Last week, Howard County police revived a 44-year-old cold case that involved the death of a couple that had ties to the former Enchanted Forest Amusement Park. 

The couple - Joseph and Betty Selby - died in March 1981 after someone set fire to their Ellicott City home, according to police. 

Officials believe their deaths were due to a case of mistaken identity and the suspect was looking for a different member of the Selby family. 

Joseph Selby was the manager of the Enchanted Forest, an amusement park in Ellicott City that closed in 1995. 

In Howard County, the reward for information about any cold case is up to $30,000. You can learn about all of them here.