After decades without resolution, the tenacious work of law enforcement has culminated in the arrest of an 82-year-old man for a cold case murder dating back 46 years, according to multiple reports. Rodger Zodas Brown of Pinehurst, North Carolina, was taken into custody last Tuesday on charges related to the 1979 murder of 31-year-old Kathryn Donohue, originally from Arlington, Virginia.
Officials say the victim's body was discovered beaten and raped in a parking lot in Glenarden, Maryland, on March 3, 1979. Despite being a secretary who had simply gone to dinner with co-workers, Donohue's life was unfairly cut short, with evidence of a "brutal murder," said Bill DelBagno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office, in a statement detailed by ABC11. The suspect, Brown, reportedly had a solemn expression and was cold upon arrest, showing "no reaction."
Prince George’s County Police Department's cold case unit breathed new life into the investigation by securing court approval to conduct a forensic genetic genealogy DNA analysis, per FOX 5 DC. This innovative technique involves identifying unknown DNA at a crime scene by comparing it to family members who voluntarily submit DNA samples to a database, eventually leading to Brown's identification.
Brown faces charges of first-degree murder, rape, and other related offenses, awaiting extradition to Prince George's County in Maryland.
