Science recently helped solve the 1975 murder of a 17-year-old Indiana girl, and two suspects were indicted Tuesday, officials said.
The suspects, identified as Fred Bundy Jr., 67, of Goshen and John Wayne Lehman, 67, of Auburn, were arrested at their Indiana home on Monday, state police said.
Lieutenant Kevin Smith of the Indiana State Police said Laurel Jean Mitchell, 17, of North Webster, just finished work at a Kosciuszko County church camp around 10:00 p.m. on August 6, 1975. was last seen, he said at a press conference.
In a statement, state police said the suspects each face one count of murder and are being held without bail at the Noble County Jail.
The case spans multiple jurisdictions, but the accused is being charged in Noble County, where Mitchell’s body was found.
There is no record of counsel in the court filings in this matter. The Noble County Public Defender’s Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Authorities with search warrants searched each suspect’s home and, in Lehman’s case, took DNA, Noble County Attorney James Maury said at a press conference about the case.
“Science finally gave us the evidence we needed and played a big role in the prosecution,” Indiana State Police Inspector Kevin Smith said at a news conference.
Witnesses linked the men to Mitchell’s murder, and DNA evidence linked one of the suspects to the incident, according to affidavits filed for the warrant application, according to the Associated Press.
Mitchell disappeared while working at a church camp near North Webster Lake, officials said. His parents called the police when he did not return from work, and the next day, authorities found his body in the water about 17 miles north of the camp.
The cause of death was determined to be drowning, but the coroner later said there were signs of a struggle on his body.
At a press conference, officials declined to say whether the two accused men knew each other or what role they believed each played in the crime.
The first court hearings for each are expected to take place Wednesday at Noble Circuit Court, according to state police and court records.
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