Columbus police solve case of girl abducted, raped, killed in 1982

A nearly four-decade-old cold case involving the abduction, rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl was pronounced closed Friday when Columbus police said a new genealogical testing technique identified the girl’s killer.

Are reporting a case tonight.

Investigators in columbus, ohio, say they've solved a 40-year-old cold case.it involves the murder of a young girl.and, officials say they now know who killed her.haley nelson explains how they cracked the case.

Sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "then, all of a sudden, you are called back to the sub, and it is like what is going on?"

It's a day now-franklin county sheriff dallas baldwin remembers vividly.september 19-82 and he'd been with columbus police for about four years.sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "when the missing came out, we all got called back to the substation and a lot of officers got called in."

Eight-year-old kelly ann prosser had been abducted while walking home from indianola elementary.sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "that was different because it was so serious."

Haley nelson / reporting: "sheriff baldwin says they started doing grid searches around the area near the school , knocking on doors, searching anywhere, he says, that someone could be."sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "we came in, and we would search an area, and maybe not quite a block, but, you know, maybe half a block a team would be assigned to it."

Tragically, her body was found about two days later in madison county.the young girl had been beaten and sexually assaulted - eventually turning into a brutal cold case.

Sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "and, you have kids at home and you think my gosh this could happen to them."

Over the years, investigators never forgot - or stopped searching for the perpetrator.dep.

Chief greg bodker / columbus police: "this is a case that, throughout the years, all of cpd wanted to solve and a case that affected all personnel on a personal level."then this year a break through.after thousands of hours of work, columbus police investigators id-ed harold warren jarrell using d-n-a and genealogy.he has since died.dep.

Chief greg bodker / franklin county: "without the work of the genealogist, mr. jarrell may not have been linked to this case."sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "glad that there is an answer and that it got solved, very glad.

Sorry r kelly ann's family says this doesn't bring closure.but thank and recognize columbus police in a statement writing - quote - "this gives us hope that other homicide cold cases will be solved" - unquote.

Sheriff dallas baldwin / franklin county: "this is what police work is all about it is about men and women // who take an oath and they want to serve the community."

In columbus, i'm