A woman was found dead along a California road 25 years ago. DNA just closed the case

In July 1996, a road crew discovered the nude body of a 32-year-old woman in Sonoma County, California authorities reported.

Michelle Marie Veal of Union City had been beaten to death, with multiple skull fractures and a broken neck, an autopsy determined. But the case went cold for the next 25 years.

Now a DNA match has solved her murder, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department reported in a news release.

Investigators resubmitted evidence for further DNA testing in April, and they found a match in January that linked Jack Alexander Bokin to the slaying, sheriff’s officials wrote.

He had been arrested by San Francisco police in another case in 1997 and was sentenced to 231 years in prison on charges of kidnapping, rape, mayhem, attempted murder and other crimes, the release said.

Bokin died in December in a California prison hospital.

Bokin’s name had come up during the initial investigation into Veal’s death, but detectives could find no evidence at the time linking him to the crime, KTVU reported.

“Though she has been gone, memories of her beautiful smile, impeccable style, generous spirit, and enthusiasm for life live on forever in the hearts of the many people whose lives she touched,” Veal’s family said in a statement, the station reported. She had three daughters.

“Cold cases are just as crucial to our detectives as are current cases,” the release said. “We are constantly reviewing them, looking for new leads. We know that every cold case represents long-awaited answers for the family and friends of victims.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 10:30 AM with the headline "A woman was found dead along a California road 25 years ago. DNA just closed the case."