DNA testing has led to the arrest of a former classmate of a Hawaii high school sophomore who was found dead at the school on March 21, 1977.
Last week, the arrest of Gideon Castro, now 66 years old, for the murder of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara was announced by the Honolulu Police Department, according to NBC News. He was located in a Utah nursing home and charged with second-degree murder.
Honolulu Police Lt. Deena Thoemmes described how Momohara was discovered “lying on her back, partially clothed” on the second floor of the English building at McKinley High School. Through examinations and collected evidence, it was determined that she had been both raped and strangled.
On the day of her tragic death, Momohara had informed her mother that she was heading to a shopping center with friends before never being seen alive again. Despite conducting numerous interviews, investigators hit a dead end as the case went cold without any suspects identified.
That began to change in 2019 with advances in DNA testing, and the following year developed a DNA profile of an unknown male from sperm found on Momohara’s shorts.
Federal investigators assisted Honolulu police an matched the DNA to Castro earlier this month. He is in custody in Utah and awaiting extradition to Honolulu.
“I want to thank all the individuals and agencies that made today’s arrest possible,” Thoemmes said. “Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to the tireless pursuit of justice for Dawn and the Momohara family.”
