In a remarkable breakthrough, authorities have solved the nearly 50-year-old murder of 24-year-old Jeanette Ralston, thanks to a fingerprint found on a cigarette pack at the crime scene.
On February 1, 1977, Jeanette Ralston was found strangled in the back seat of her Volkswagen Beetle in San Jose, California. She had been sexually assaulted, and her car showed signs of an attempted arson. Witnesses last saw Ralston leaving the Lion’s Den bar with an unidentified man the night before, saying she would return shortly. Despite extensive investigations, the case went cold.
In August 2024, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office re-examined evidence from the case, including a pack of Eve cigarettes found in Ralston’s car. A fingerprint on the pack was run through the FBI’s updated database, leading to a match with 69-year-old Willie Eugene Sims, a former Army private who had been stationed near San Jose at the time of the murder.
Further DNA analysis confirmed Sims’ connection to the crime, with his DNA matching samples found under Ralston’s fingernails and on the shirt used to strangle her.
Sims was arrested in Ohio and arraigned in Ashtabula County. He has been extradited to California, where he faces charges of murder and a potential sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.
Ralston’s son, Allen, who was six years old at the time of his mother’s death, expressed gratitude for the renewed efforts to solve the case. In a social media post, he thanked the detectives for their persistence, stating, “You have undoubtedly made a 6-year-old kid happy after all these years.”
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized the importance of advancements in forensic science and the dedication of law enforcement in solving cold cases. “Every day, forensic science grows better, and every day criminals are closer to being caught,” Rosen said.
