Sandra DiFelice was murdered in 1980, and her daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, urged authorities to look into her case, leading them to re-test DNA and find a suspect.
DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a man in a rape and murder case 42 years old, according to authorities.
Sandra DiFelice, 25, was found dead Dec. 26, 1980, around 9:30 p.m. in Las Vegas, according to published reports. Police have not said how DiFelice died.
When DiFelice was murdered, her 3-year-old daughter had been staying with her grandparents, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Jason Johansson said during a news conference.
The woman reached out about her mother's homicide case to police last year prompting a review, and DNA collected from under DiFelice’s fingernails was tested using new technology after detectives revisited the case, according to a department press release.
When the department's DNA lab looked at the case again, officers found additional evidence, Johansson said during the conference.
According to the press release, after processing it through new and advanced DNA technology, police were led to Paul Nuttall, 64, who lives in Las Vegas.
On Thursday, police arrested Nuttall and charged him with murder, sexual assault and burglary in connection to DiFelice's slaying, according to the release.
"I am hopeful in some way shape or form this provides closure for the family," Johansson said.
According to court records, Nuttall was booked in Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday and is due in court Wednesday for a hearing on his charges.
