Las Vegas police use DNA testing and genealogical research to solve 42-year-old homicide of teen girl

Advanced DNA testing and genome sequencing helped Las Vegas police crack the case of a 16-year-old girl who was found dead 42 years ago, investigators announced Monday.

Kim Bryant was reported missing on January 26, 1979, after she didn't return home from school, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release.

Her body was found in a desert area on February 20, 1979, police said. Bryant had been sexually assaulted and DNA evidence from a suspect was recovered but police were unable to make an identification, Lt. Ray Spencer with the LVMPD homicide division said during a news conference Monday.