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DNA from cigarette packet links former Army private to 1977 murder
- Willie Eugene Sims, a 69-year-old former Army private stationed at Fort Ord, has been charged with the 1977 murder of Jeanette Ralston in San Jose, California.
- Authorities reactivated the cold case after matching Sims' fingerprint found on a cigarette pack in August 2024, then collected his DNA in Ohio in early 2025 to confirm the link.
- Ralston, 24, was strangled with a long-sleeve shirt and found dead in her Volkswagen Beetle near a San Jose bar on February 1, 1977; evidence showed sexual assault and an unsuccessful attempt to burn the car.
- DNA matching Sims was identified on the victim Ralston's fingernails and the garment used in the strangulation, and Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker indicated this finding formed the basis for the charges.
- Sims awaits extradition to California, where he faces arraignment and if convicted, could serve 25 years to life, underscoring advances in forensic science that help solve decades-old cases.
56 Articles
56 Articles
The Sun
The Irish SunMy mum was killed when I was aged 6 & a cig packet led to arrest 50 years later
BEAUTIFUL Jeanette Ralston, 24, was letting her hair down with pals at a local bar while her six-year-old son, Allen, was safely tucked up in bed. But tragically, the mum-of-one never made it home to her baby. She was found strangled, sexually assaulted and wedged into the back seat of her own car. Santa Clara County District Attorney's OfficeJeanette Ralston was found strangled, sexually assaulted and wedged into the back seat of her own car[/…
The Western Journal
DailyTruthReportNear 50-Year-Old Cold Case Heats Up After Feds Double-Check Cigarette Pack
A nearly 50-year-old cold case in San Jose, California, has seen a breakthrough with the arrest of a suspect in the 1977 murder of Jeanette Ralston. The Santa Clara County […] The post Near 50-Year-Old Cold Case Heats Up After Feds Double-Check Cigarette Pack appeared first on The Western Journal.
Saturday Links: Thumbprint on Cigarette Carton Cracks 1977 San Mateo Cold Case
After 48 years, the 1977 murder of San Mateo resident Jeanette Ralston was solved thanks to a thumbprint on a carton of cigarettes, leading authorities to charge a 69-year-old Ohio man who had once been stationed at Fort Ord. The break in the cold case came after a renewed search of the FBI fingerprint database and DNA evidence, decades after the suspect served time for a similar violent assault. [Chronicle]Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested f…
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