More than 49 years after she was raped and stabbed 36 times, the suspected killer of Julie Ann Hanson is finally behind bars.
The cold case lingered within the Naperville Police Department Investigation Unit for the last five decades and every newly-assigned detective had to review it.
Police Chief Robert Marshall said that investigators continued to visit the remote area where the 15-year-old’s body was found on the anniversary of her murder and would stop at her gravesite hoping to spot a remorseful culprit.
“Over the past 49 years, the police department chased many leads, identified many suspects, and all were eliminated,” Marshall added.
On Wednesday, Mounds View authorities arrested a retired welder identified as 76-year-old Barry Lee Whelpley and charged him with murder in the cold case.
Detectives said that DNA evidence linked him to Hanson’s killing when he was 27 and attacked the teen while she rode a bicycle to attend a baseball game.
Hanson’s family kept hopes that one day the killer would be brought to justice and that did occur half a century later.
“As you might assume, it has been a long journey for our family. We are forever grateful to all those who have worked on this case throughout the many years.”
