Arrest made in 1984 murder of Calif. teen Tina Faelz, FBI crime lab credited
(CBS/KPIX/AP) PLEASANTON, Calif. - A 43-year-old man with an extensive criminal history has been arrested for the 1984 stabbing death of 14-year-old Tina Faelz, who was killed while walking home from school in the suburbs east of Oakland.
Although Pleasanton Police Chief Dave Spiller announced the arrest at a news conference Monday, he declined to release the suspect's name because he was a juvenile at the time the crime was committed.
However, his name could be released after he is referred to adult court, Spiller said.
Faelz disappeared on April 5, 1984, while walking home from Foothill High School in Pleasanton, Calif. She was found stabbed to death in a drainage area late that afternoon, police said, reports CBS affiliate KPIX.
The area is located east of the high school campus, and at that time it was undeveloped and was frequently used by students walking to and from school, police said.
Pleasanton police said that when Faelz's body was discovered, they conducted exhaustive crime-scene processing and interviewed classmates, friends, school faculty and nearby residents, reports the station.Officers searched the area but didn't find a suspect or a murder weapon, police said.
In the 27 years since the murder, police kept the case open and investigated any tips or new information that emerged, but it remained unsolved.
In late 2007 they again reviewed the physical evidence that was collected in 1984, taking into consideration scientific analyses that might not have been available at the time of the murder. Items were submitted to two different laboratories for evaluation and examination.
Last October, the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Va., provided information to Pleasanton police that led to the suspect's identification.
The case has been forwarded to the juvenile division of the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for review and charging.