DNA links 76-year-old rape suspect to killings of two women that had been unsolved for decades

A 76-year-old man suspected of a 2021 rape has been arrested in the killings of two women that had been unsolved for decades, authorities in California said.

James Ray Gary, of Fairfield, was arrested last week in the 1980 killing of Latrelle Lindsay of Union City and the 1996 killing of Winifred Douglas of Berkeley, the Solano County Sheriff's Office said.

DNA collected during a 2021 rape investigation matched DNA collected from both crime scenes. On July 18, the office was notified that a DNA sample from Gary matched all three crimes. A warrant was obtained for his arrest and to search his home. He was arrested the following day, officials said.