UPDATE: Who Killed Michelle Marie Veal In 1996?; Sonoma County Sheriff's Department Now Has The Answer
SONOMA (CBS SF) -- Michelle Marie Veal's battered body was discovered on rural Sonoma County road in 1996, now DNA evidence has helped identify the man responsible, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department.
Cold case detectives announced that using the latest advancements in DNA technology has resulted in Jack Alexander Bokin being linked to the slaying. Bokin was incarcerated at the California Department of Corrections Medical Facility in Vacaville for a violent San Francisco kidnapping when he died on December 4, 2021.
And he may be linked to other cold cases.
Sonoma County Sheriff's Office spokesman Juan Valencia confirmed to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat that cold case investigators were looking into whether Bokin could be linked to the murders of at least seven young women and girls in Sonoma County between 1972 and 1979.
Those victims could include Herbert Slater Junior High students Maureen Sterling, 12 at the time, and Yvonne Weber, 13 at the time, who were dropped off at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Their skeletal remains were discovered in December 1972 on Franz Valley Road.
Veal's body was found on the side of the road by a survey crew working in the area of Stony Point Road, north of West Railroad Avenue in unincorporated Sonoma County.
The autopsy showed she suffered from multiple skull fractures and a broken neck, consistent with blunt force head trauma. At the time of the murder, evidence was collected.
But all leads were exhausted and despite the detectives best efforts, the investigation went cold.
In April of 2021, detectives resubmitted evidence for review to the Serological Research Institute for biological testing. On January 18, 2022, the Department of Justice notified detectives of a "CODIS Hit" due to the DNA evidence submitted to the laboratory.
The SERI laboratory had developed a DNA profile from the evidence that had been submitted. A DNA match came back to that of Bokin, who had died in prison.
In October 1997, the San Francisco Police Department arrested Bokin for kidnapping, kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, rape of a victim incapable of consent, attempted murder and other crimes. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 231 years in prison.
"We know that every cold case represents long-awaited answers for the family and friends of victims," the department said in a Facebook post. "Thanks to the hard work of our detectives and our law enforcement partners, we are now able to bring a measure of closure and healing to Michelle Marie Veal's family."