DNA evidence leads to arrest in 45-year-old murder case

DNA recovered from discarded soda bottles has led to the arrest of a 79-year-old man in connection with the 1981 killing of Beverly Bruneau, according to police and court records.

The Grapevine Police Department confirmed on July 16 that Larry Dean Brown had been arrested in the decades-old homicide investigation. Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show Brown was booked into the Tarrant County Corrections Center on a charge of murder intentionally causing death after being extradited from Colorado.

Beverly Bruneau's 1981 killing

The arrest is linked to the death of 35-year-old Beverly Bruneau.

According to an arrest affidavit cited by The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, WFAA and CBS News, Bruneau's boyfriend returned home from work on Feb. 13, 1981, and found her dead on the living room floor with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck and blood on her face.

Investigators said the home showed signs of a struggle and that Bruneau had suffered multiple injuries. Authorities later determined she died from strangulation sometime during the mid-morning before her body was discovered.

DNA evidence revived cold case

Police interviewed Brown in 1981 when they visited his home to speak with his wife, Thelma Brown, who was identified as Bruneau's best friend.

According to the arrest affidavit cited by the outlets, Bruneau and Thelma co-owned a Dallas home that had been damaged in a fire. Investigators allege Brown pressured Bruneau to sign fraudulent insurance documents with inflated repair costs.

After Bruneau refused, Thelma allegedly forged her signature on the insurance paperwork following her death, according to the affidavit cited by the reports.

The case remained unsolved until evidence was reexamined in 2010, when investigators developed an unknown male DNA profile. However, no match was found through the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

When detectives later reopened the investigation, they worked with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office in Colorado, where Brown was living, and collected discarded soda bottles from his trash to obtain a DNA sample.

According to the arrest affidavit cited by the outlets, testing indicated Brown could not be excluded as the source of blood found on Bruneau's nightgown.

The Grapevine Police Department said additional forensic testing, including confirmatory DNA analysis, is still pending before investigators release further details.

Brown's attorney, Bryan Hoeller, has filed a motion seeking to reduce his $2 million bond, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As of July 15, Brown had been denied bail.