The genealogical hit came in January, officials said. Nothing he said made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He could be brought to California sometime this week if he waives extradition, Spitzer said. McMillan remained skeptical. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? OKeefes 1973 rape and murder went unsolved for decades. Helicopters, police Jeeps and search parties scoured the area looking for signs of O'Keefe. "We have never forgotten Linda," Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at the news conference. Copyright 2020 KKTV. O'Keefe then called her mother from the school office, and her mother told her she was busy sewing and that she should walk home, police said. Newport Beach police said last year they were taking a fresh look at the slaying of Linda O'Keefe, who lived in the Corona del Mar neighborhood and was last seen alive July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school. I dont have any friends because Ive always been afraid to make any because I just figured they would only see me as everyone else has in the past.. Phone calls to Newport Beach police were not returned, but the Orange County District Attorneys Office said it is seeking other potential victims of Neal. Spitzer lauded noted DNA investigator CeCe Moore for helping police develop a "pointer" toward Neal. James Alan Neal, 73, was an inmate at the maximum-security Theo Lacy jail in Orange for the 1973 sexual assault and strangling death of Linda O'Keefe, 11. While waiting to use the school phone, O'Keefe went outside. But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach, California, Police Department said. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said. "It didn't necessarily lead to the identification (of the suspect)," he said. Her image hung among the faces of other unsolved cases, reminding each. ), First published on March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM. Linda never made it home that afternoon., For 45 years, the Newport Beach Police Department continued to search for Lindas killer," Lewis said. ( Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. O'Keefe's suspected killer, James Neal, who lived in Southern California in the 1970s, was arrested this week in Colorado where he had been living, said Orange County District Attorney Todd . An undated photo of Linda OKeefe who was killed in Southern California in July 1973. Linda was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said Wednesday. After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. James lived in the area around the time and worked in construction. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. James Alan Neal fue arrestado el 19 de febrero de 2019, en relacin con su muerte, segn anunciaron los fiscales en una conferencia de prensa. "I want to know if there are any other victims.". Please see the press release for more information. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Linda O'Keefe, 11, vanished in July 1973 when she was heading home from school in Newport Beach. Detectives from the Newport Beach Police Department kept investigating. O'Keefe was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. Blashaw did not explain what this sickness was but elaborated that the inmate did not have COVID-19 symptoms. Girl Was Stabbed 59 Times After Parting Ways with Boyfriend in 1982 and Suspect Was Just Arrested, to recount the story of Lindas life, mysterious disappearance and death. "My hope is that this [case] brings hope to other families who haven't had closure yet.". He was apprehended in February after DNA analysis identified him as a suspect in OKeefes slaying. The authorities confirmed that the 73-year-old showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and that his death was not considered suspicious. Jeffrey Malecki, 55, who lived next door to Neal for five years, said Friday his neighbor mentioned having served time in jail but never elaborated. Spitzer also refused to confirm whether Neal had family members or children, saying the matter was under investigation. These were in relation to him committing lewd acts to a child in Riverside County, California, between July 1995 and July 2000 and then to another child between March 2002 and March 2004. Police hoped that retelling the girl's story through the modern-day medium would help people from a different generation form an emotional attachment to the case. The DNA sample from her dress was entered into the CODIS system in 2001 but came up empty, he said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Spitzer noted that the DNA lead police had obtained was wholly unrelated to the department's live-tweeting of O'Keefe's last day but said the exercise had served to revive the case in the public's mind. Through surveillance, a sample of Neal's DNA was obtained - one that ultimately matched a sample taken from O'Keefe's body in 1973. . "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. Since April 2018, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects, said CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. Authorities did not elaborate on his death but said he was not exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms. Reportedly, Colorado resident James Alan Neal was arrested in 2019 after a DNA report linked him to Linda O'Keefe's 1973 cold murder case. Anyone with additional information about the OKeefe case or who believes they may be a victim of Neal is asked to call the NBPD Cold Case Tip Line at 949-644-3669.. He was transferred to a local. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. James Alan Neal, 72, was picked up in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors said. "The tweets extend the period of time that Linda's story can be out there for people to relate to," Manzella said in July. "He seemed like a good guy," Neal's landlord, Michael Thulson,. CBS 48 Hours: Lindas Story delves into the work put in to arrest James Neal in relation to Lindas rape and murder. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Neal was released from police custody on his own recognizance, fled California and was rearrested when he returned to the state on March 3, 1966. Years later, the authorities developed a DNA profile from the biological evidence recovered from Linda, and that was eventually matched to James in January 2019. Linda O'Keefe was last seen alive in Corona Del Mar, California, in July 1973. . The database was Family Tree DNA. Then in January, CeCe Moore of San Clemente, who heads Parabons genetic genealogy unit matched DNA evidence gathered in the OKeefe investigation to a sample provided to genealogy website FamilyTreeDNA.com leading authorities to identify Neal, now 72, as a suspect. On one hand, we were grateful that we could have that conversation and provide some closure.". Police and prosecutors on Wednesday said they put Neal under surveillance and eventually got his DNA though they did not detail exactly how. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial. Both of O'Keefe's parents have since died, but the girl was survived by two sisters, whom police had contacted with updates about Neal's arrest. As a result of surveillance and other traditional detective techniques, they were able to get additional DNA which resulted in the corroboration of the DNA from the victims body, to the DNA sample that the suspect left during a particular location during surveillance activities, the Orange County district attorney said after Neals arrest in February 2019. Generations of investigators worked on her case, said Lewis. That night, a woman who lives in the bluffs above Back Bay heard a voice scream, "Stop, youre hurting me," police said. James Allen Neal. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS). "My office will never forget about cold cases," Spitzer said in a statement. While their parents did not live to see an arrest, Borgeson said, "I'm sure she [O'Keefe] and my parents are rejoicing.". There is no record of Neal ever having been incarcerated in a California prison, according to state officials. Newport Beach police released this undated image of Linda O'Keefe in an effort to get assistance from the public to help solve her murder in Southern California in July 1973. O'Keefe, who was seven years younger than Borgeson, was "an old soul" with a "go with the flow" personality, Borgeson said. James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Linda OKeefe in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. First tweet from Newport Beach Police Department. The police department last year also "live-tweeted" O'Keefe's story from her perspective, narrating the final day of her life in real-time, exactly 45 years later. After following and obtaining a DNA sample from Neal himself, police were confident enough to make an arrest, he added. "He has a connection to Southern California.". This defendant seems quite emotionally immature and psychologically unstable, McMillan wrote in his report. . ORANGE COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - The suspect in a decades-old cold case died Wednesday while awaiting trial. The community made sure that justice would be secured, he said. James Alan Neal has been arrested in the July 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe in Newport Beach. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "I'm sure they're going through a lot of grieving of their own.". If he pursues these goals conscientiously and stays away from downtown Santa Ana where associates congregate, he feels he will never again become involved in difficulty, the probation officer wrote. At the least, prosecutors will ask for life without the possibility of parole if Neal is convicted, the district attorney said. Neal has been charged with one count of murder with the special circumstances of kidnapping and committing lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14, Spitzer said. Neals extensive criminal history and the circumstances of the 1973 sexual assault and murder of 11-year-old Linda OKeefe lead law enforcement to seek potential additional victims and witnesses. On Tuesday, nearly 46 years after O'Keefe's life ended, authorities arrested a man they say is suspected of being her killer: a 72-year-old living in Colorado named James Neal. Now a Suspect Has Been Arrested, JonBent Ramsey's Father Is Optimistic DNA Advances Will Catch Daughter's Killer, Slams Boulder Police, DNA Taken from Truck's Door Handle in Washington Leads to Arrest 34 Years After Wisconsin Mom's Killing, Pa. ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report. Neal, who was living at the YMCA in Santa Ana at the time, surrendered to police four days later and ratted out the other burglars. But O'Keefe never came home. . In July 1973, 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe was murdered. ABC News' Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report. Linda O'Keefe. Her killer, James Alan Neel, was caught 45 years later, in February 2019, after. James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with murder with special circumstances, Spitzer said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 11-year-old Linda OKeefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. It wasnt long before Neal was in trouble again. He was the second of three children but had a difficult upbringing. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. O'Keefe's parents have since died, but police said they keep her two surviving sisters updated on the investigation. A true-crime retelling of Linda O'Keefe's 1973 abduction & killing led police to James Alan Neal, ID'd through DNA as the primary suspect. People in the city of Newport Beach have been following this case for literally 45 years, Spitzer said. James Neal was arrested in 2019 after DNA submitted to a genealogical website linked him to the crime. The 72-year-old Neal was extradited to California from Colorado after he was charged with murder in the death of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in the seaside community of Newport Beach. Records obtained by the Southern California News Group show that Neal was arrested more than a dozen times in California, Florida and Colorado from 1959 to 1974. Scott has also worked at newspapers in Utah, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia covering everything from methamphetamine trafficking cops to hurricanes. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer also called the arrest "bittersweet," noting that he had been 12 years old when the 11-year-old was killed. Photo Source. She doesn't know that I'm missing. But Spitzer admitted that it is a murky legal decision because capital punishment was not an option when the 11-year-old was killed. "We want as many sets of eyes on that sketch as possible, so somebody can recognize the face of a killer so we can get justice.". O'Keefe disappeared while she was walking home from summer school. He also teamed up with reporter Joe Nelson in 2019 on Bad Apples, an award winning investigation that exposed years of sex abuse cover up in the Redlands Unified School District. Neal was arrested last year and charged with the sex assault and murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann OKeefe, who was abducted while walking home from school in the summer of 1973. James was in and out of prison throughout his younger life, with arrest records in California, Florida, and Colorado between 1959 and 1974. She had been strangled. "We have heard from a number of her friends from when she was in school, and her death has touched so many people," Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said at the time. "Generations of investigators worked on her case. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS) The 72-year-old Neal was extradited to California from Colorado after he was charged with murder in the death of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe . The lead bringing officials to Neal came after these sketches were released, authorities said Wednesday. After a move to California in 1956, James started getting into trouble. James Alan Neal, 72, was picked up in Colorado on Tuesday and charged with the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in 1973. Neal became a suspect in the slaying through "genealogical DNA," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. Her body was found the next morning in a ditch in the area of Newport Beachs Back Bay. Through the tireless efforts of generations of our investigators, we hope we have been able to bring a measure of closure to Lindas family, friends and loved ones., However, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Neals death robvs the OKeefe family of the justice they so deserve and deprives the law enforcement officers of the satisfaction that they finally got their culprit., Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk, For more stories like this,check our news page, Get your need-to-know Spitzer said a DNA sample was recovered from O'Keefe after her body was found and uploaded to a database, where it never matched others. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. Beware of scams, Denver police searching for missing 14-year-old. Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more! A man was arrested this week in the decades-old killing of Linda OKeefe, 11. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. The 11-year-old was taken while she walked back from school in California, with witnesses reporting Linda talking to a white male in a van. But she added that she was thankful for the "additional closure" brought to her by the investigators who never gave up, as well as the new technology, which made it possible to process the crime scene DNA. Scott Schwebke is an investigative reporter for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. Her death would go unsolved for more than four decades. "Our hearts go out to the victim and the victim's family in this case, having to endure decades without answers. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It was July 6, 1973, a Friday. He will ultimately benefit more from a state prison sentence.. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP. Neal was arrested on February 19, 2019 in Monument, Colorado where he had been living with his family for three years. In August 1969, he was convicted of fraud in Denver and sentenced to three to 10 year at Colorados Territorial Correctional Facility. The next day she was found strangled, her. An man arrested for a series of cold case sex crimes against children died while in police custody, officials said. Neal is being held in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado. Spitzer refused to elaborate on how they were able to track down Neal and identify him as a suspect after 45 years, but he said police had received a "pointer notification through genealogical DNA" - perhaps suggesting that authorities had come upon DNA from someone related to Neal that would have implicated him as a possible match. An undated photo of murder victim Linda O'Keefe and her family. James Neal of Monument, Colorado also pleaded not guilty in an Orange County courtroom Friday to lewd and lascivious acts on two girls under the age of 14. Those alleged crimes happened between 1995 and 2004 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Even after detectives got the lead through genealogical DNA, investigators needed to a secure a sample from Neal, Spitzer said. David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. James Alan Neal was arrested February 19, 2019, in connection to her death, prosecutors announced at a press conference.. This undated booking photo provided by the El Paso County, Colo., Sheriff's Office shows James Neal. Through the tireless efforts of generations of our investigators, we hope we have been able to bring a measure of closure to Lindas family, friends, and loved ones.. Track Latest News and Karnataka Elections 2023 Coverage Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. On the day Linda Ann O'Keefe died, it was a cooler-than-normal July morning in Newport . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. ', " As 'Linda' noted in the tweets in July, her case would generate numerous theories and a sketch of a 'person of interest' but ultimately grow cold.". DNA recovered from O'Keefe shortly after her death was put into the Combined DNA Index System -- the law enforcement database known as CODIS -- but there was no hit, Spitzer said. IE 11 is not supported. In addition to the count of murder while committing lewd acts on a child, Neal was also accused of lewd acts against two other girls under the age of 14 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 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