A 64-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a murder that occurred more than three decades ago in California, authorities announced. James Lawhead Jr. was taken into custody in Arizona after DNA testing linked him to the 1991 kidnapping and murder of Cindy Wanner.

On November 25, 1991, Cindy Wanner, 35, disappeared from her sister's home in Granite Bay, California, an affluent suburb of Sacramento. When Wanner's husband arrived at the residence with their four-year-old daughter, he found their 11-month-old baby alone and crying while strapped in a high chair.

Three weeks after her disappearance, Wanner's body was discovered approximately 40 miles away in a secluded wooded area. An autopsy determined she had died from strangulation. The case remained unsolved for decades despite ongoing investigation efforts.

Recent advances in forensic DNA analysis enabled investigators to identify Lawhead as a suspect in the case. According to authorities, DNA testing and facial recognition technology were used to link him to the crime. The arrest represents a significant development in what investigators have described as a long-standing cold case that had haunted the local community.

Lawhead was arrested last week, marking the end of a 33-year investigation into Wanner's death. The case demonstrates how modern forensic techniques continue to provide new leads in decades-old criminal investigations.