A suspect has been arrested 36 years after a mother of five was found dead in northern Michigan, authorities announced Tuesday.
The body of 41-year-old Linda Marie Meteer was found in Michigan’s Hoosier Valley on April 27, 1989, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said in a news conference. Meteer, from Traverse City, Michigan, had been reported missing a week earlier. Her death was ruled a homicide.
An investigative task force investigated the case, but no charges were ever brought.
In 2024, deputies met with representatives from the Grand Traverse County Prosecutor’s Office, the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, and the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program to develop and implement an investigative plan, local media reported.
The Western Michigan University Cold Case Program said online that its students helped the sheriff’s deputies by digitizing Meteer’s case file and created detailed timelines and searchable documents. The cold case program noted that authorities hoped DNA evidence could crack the case.
The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 63-year-old man from Leelanau County on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Leelanau County borders Grand Traverse County. Traverse City is primarily in Grand Traverse County, but extends into Leelanau County.
Police did not release any information about the suspect or what led to his arrest. He has been charged with open murder, a term used in Michigan that means prosecutors can wait to see which type of murder charge — first- or second-degree murder — they will try to convict a person of, according to the Marshall Project.
The sheriff’s office said no further information would be released at this time.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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