Illinois police make arrest in 50-year-old murder cold case

15-year-old girl had been stabbed multiple times in 1972.

Published: June 5, 2021 11:41am

Updated: June 5, 2021 2:59pm

Police in Naperville, Ill., this week announced the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old girl five decades ago.

The Naperville Police Department said in a Friday press release that they arrested 76-year-old Barry Whelpley on Wednesday for the 1972 murder of 15-year-old Naperville resident Julie Ann Hanson.

Hanson had been found that year dead from multiple stab wounds. "No suspect was immediately identified" at the time, the police department said, with the breakthrough coming this week "through technological advancements in DNA and genetic genealogy analysis."

Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall said the development came after "a team effort that spanned decades."

"I could not be more proud of the determination and resourcefulness of our investigators, both past and present, who never gave up on Julie," Marshall said.

Whelpley, whom police arrested in Mounds View, Minn., has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder; his bond has been set at $10,000,000.