SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: In a major breakthrough in a 40-year-old case, an arrest has been made in the fatal beating of Noelle Russo after DNA evidence linked a suspect this week.

The body of Russo, who was named 'Miss Burlingame' at the age of 16, was discovered in Northern California in 1983, according to authorities, reports NBC News.

Who is Alfredo Carretero Jr?

Alfredo Carretero Jr of Lakeport, California, was taken into custody on Monday, October 2. According to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office, the suspect was charged with murder in connection to the death of Russo.

The Sonoma County Sheriff stated that on June 27, 1983, authorities discovered Russo's battered and naked body in an unincorporated area of Rohnert Park located 50 miles north of San Francisco

Investigators who have been looking into the unsolved case for nearly four decades have collected a "significant amount of evidence" over the years and have identified several persons of interest.

However, there were no arrests in the case of the 37-year-old woman's death, according to the sheriff’s office.

DNA analysis turned crucial in solving Noelle Russo's murder

The sheriff's office stated that the evidence collected in the case was sent for DNA analysis to the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and the Serological Research Institute between 2010 and early 2023.

The 65-year-old suspect had long been on the radar of the detectives as one of the original persons of interest in the murder case.

Carretero was identified as the suspect in the killing of Russo based on "DNA and other evidence." He currently remains in jail and is being held on no bail, stated the sheriff's office.

Carretero's attorney was not able to immediately arrive by Friday afternoon, October 6, is being represented by a public defender.

Noelle Russo is remembered as someone who touched so many lives

After the news of Carretero's arrest broke, the daughter of Russo's best friend reacted to the breakthrough in the case.

"Noelle was a close friend, if not at the time, a best friend of my mom and my mom's name was Laura Serbin," Dominique Espinosa told ABC 7.

"I think her eyes twinkled when she looked at her. She was just a beautiful person and that is one thing that shined through in my mom's writing that this was somebody she really cared about and it just devastated her that she lost her," Espinosa said.

"I'm grateful for the detectives, I'm grateful for Noelle's family not giving up hope and just to even though we haven't met, letting Noelle's family know she touched many lives and she's been thought of daily ever since this happened to her," Espinosa added.