Pennsylvania man arrested in 16-year-old Ohio girl's death, closing 1985 cold case

A Pennsylvania man has been arrested in the 1985 death of a 16-year-old girl from Ohio, bringing the 41-year cold case to a close, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday. 

Sixty-one-year-old James Kruczek of West Mifflin has been arrested for stabbing Lottie Jo Gunn, who was found stabbed to death along Turner Valley Road in North Huntingdon Township on May 24, 1985, the district attorney's office said. 

A friend of Kruczek's told investigators that in the spring of 1985, Kruczek had picked up a girl, killed her and dumped her body in the Coulter area. 

Clothing from the victim was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Laboratory, and a DNA profile was created on Gunn's profile, the district attorney's office said. Investigators obtained a search warrant for a sample of Kruczek's DNA, which the DA's office said returned a match with the DNA found on Gunn's clothing. 

"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," District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a press release. "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." 

Kruczek has been charged with homicide. Court paperwork shows he has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 13.