Vernon Parker has been identified as the lead suspect in the January 15, 1981 rape and murder of 17-year-old Mary London in Sacramento, California.
London was developmentally disabled, and she disappeared on her way to her scheduled ride for school. Her body was found near I-5 the next day. She was nude and had been stabbed multiple times.
Parker himself was killed in 1982, about one year later. The case has been cleared by exception.
Sources:
Cremen, Alanea, Kristopher Hooks, and Chris Thomas. “Suspect in Decades-Old Sacramento Cold Case Identified as Man Killed One Year Later.” ABC 10 News, April 22, 2020, last modified April 23, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/suspect-in-decades-old-mary-london-cold-case-identified/103-f0916941-98d2-4d87-9b9a-b0a85b751189.
Luerpon, Alberto. “Suspect in 1981 Cold Case Met Ironic End the Year After Killing 17-Year-Old Girl: Cops.” Sacramento Bee, April 24, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article242230826.html.
McGough, Michael. “DNA Links Suspect to 1981 Cold Case Murder of Disabled Sacramento Teen.” Sacramento Bee. April 23, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article242230826.html.
Murdock, Jason. “DNA Breakthrough Identifies Suspect in Cold Case Murder of California Teen Unsolved for Nearly 40 Years.” Newsweek, April 24, 2020. Accessed December 26, 2020. https://www.newsweek.com/california-sacramento-police-cold-case-mary-london-dna-genetic-genealogy-testing-1499951.