Atlanta police solve girl's 1995 killing that was featured on "America's Most Wanted"

A homicide has been solved more than a quarter-century after 14-year-old Nacole Smith was raped and murdered while on her way to school, Atlanta police announced Tuesday. Detectives used DNA testing and genealogy tools to finally identify a suspect, who is now dead, police said at a news conference.

In 1995, Smith was walking to school in southwest Atlanta but turned back around after forgetting a school assignment at home, CBS affiliate WGCL reported. She cut through the nearby wooded area, where police say she was beaten, raped and shot to death.

CSI Atlanta had kept Smith's case in the spotlight and worked with a forensic artist to create an updated sketch of the killer in 2019, WGCL reported.