69-year-old man identified as suspect in 1977 cold case involving woman found strangled

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) – Authorities in California believe they may have solved a cold case that’s remained a mystery for nearly half a century.

A suspect in a 1977 murder has been identified, and the discovery came from another look at an old piece of evidence.

After decades with no leads, DNA and fingerprints found on a pack of cigarettes led the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office to a suspect in the death of 24-year-old Jeanette Ralston.

Almost 50 years ago, Ralston was found strangled to death in the back seat of her Volkswagen Beetle.

The San Mateo resident was last seen alive at a bar in San Jose.

“This is one case in particular that has haunted every cold case prosecutor. We’ve all looked at it and dug into it,” Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker said.

Baker said the breakthrough came last August.

Officials retested the fingerprints left on a pack of cigarettes that were found in Ralston’s car.

“Just about a year ago I was like ‘Hey, let’s run those prints again to see if we get lucky,’” Baker said.

The prints matched to 69-year-old Willie Eugene Sims, who lives in Ohio.

Earlier this year, investigators from the DA’s office and the San Jose Police Department traveled to Ohio to collect Sims’ DNA.

The DA’s crime lab found the DNA was consistent with the DNA found on Ralston’s fingernails and the shirt used to strangle her.

“If we charged him and went to trial would we be able to prove it? Do we have enough witnesses that can actually testify, and we’re very fortunate in this case that all of the key witnesses in this case are still alive,” Baker said.

Sims was arraigned in Ohio on Tuesday.

He will soon be taken to Santa Clara County. If convicted, he faces 25 years to life in prison.

Baker called Jeanette’s son, who was just a child when he lost his mother, to tell him about the developments in his mother’s case.

“We can’t bring her back, but hopefully we can answer a lot of the questions that the family may have had, and try to get them some closure and hopefully justice in that way,” Baker said.

Ralston’s son made a post on social media thanking the detectives for their persistence and devotion.

He wrote in part, “You have undoubtedly made a 6-year-old kid happy after all these years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart on a job well done.”

Baker said his office’s cold case unit has solved more than two dozen murders since 2011.

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