NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police arrested a man in the unsolved case of a teen girl who was stabbed to death in 1985.
James Kruczek, 61, of West Mifflin, was arrested on Thursday for Lottie Jo Gunn’s murder.
Gunn, from Ohio, was 16 years old when police found her body along Tuner Valley Road in North Huntingdon Township on May 24, 1985.
She had several stab wounds to her abdomen and her death was ruled a homicide.
Police said an acquaintance of Kruczek’s has since come forward and said Kruczek picked up “a female, killed her and dumped her body in the Coulter area of North Huntingdon Township.”
Gunn’s clothing was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Laboratory for DNA testing.
After obtaining a search warrant, investigators took a sample of Kruczek’s DNA and sent it to the lab.
Investigators said his DNA was found on Gunn’s clothing.
“Through the use of modern technology and the relentless, unwavering efforts by detectives, I am thankful and relieved to announce an arrest in this unsolved homicide case,” District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said. “Lottie Jo’s family waited an excruciating four decades for answers. While her parents are no longer with us to hear those answers, I am proud of the groundwork our detectives poured into this case in an effort to pursue justice.”
Kruczek is now facing a count of criminal homicide.
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