Former Classmate Arrested Following New DNA Evidence Nearly 50 Years After Schoolgirl’s Murder | US News
Advancements in DNA technology have resulted in an arrest that may bring closure to the unsolved murder of a 16-year-old girl at a school in Hawaii, nearly 50 years later.
The remains of Dawn Momohara were found on the second floor of the English building at McKinley High School in Honolulu on March 21, 1977. She had suffered sexual assault and strangulation.
Gideon Castro, her former classmate, aged 66, has been charged with second-degree murder, as reported by the Honolulu Police Department.
He was apprehended on Tuesday at a nursing home in Utah, where he currently resides.
Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes mentioned that DNA samples were re-evaluated. File picture: Honolulu Police Department/AP
Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes from the homicide department stated that the arrest resulted from advancements in DNA testing, which were not available back in 1977.
On the morning prior to Ms. Momohara’s assault, she received a call from an unidentified man. She later informed her mother that she planned to visit a shopping center with friends.
Lt. Thoemmes noted that police discovered Ms. Momohara at the school with an orange cloth tightly wrapped around her neck, “lying on her back, partially clothed.”
A sketch of a suspect vehicle was released during the investigation. File picture: Honolulu Police Department
In the wake of her death, detectives interviewed multiple individuals, including Mr. Castro, but were unable to identify a suspect.
At the time, sketches of a potential assailant and vehicle were distributed and are still available on the Honolulu Police Department’s website.
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In 2019, authorities re-evaluated evidence from the crime scene, including a pair of blue shorts and underwear, leading to the DNA profile of an unidentified male derived from sperm found on Ms. Momohara’s shorts.
Mr. Castro is currently in custody in Salt Lake County, awaiting extradition to Honolulu, as stated by Lt. Thoemmes, who expressed gratitude to law enforcement agencies in Hawaii and Utah.
“Thank you all for your unwavering commitment to the relentless pursuit of justice for Dawn and the Momohara family,” she remarked.
