Latest news with #JosephineCounty
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of his then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
Oregon Cold Case GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A man who is suspected in the disappearance of his then-girlfriend in the 1980s and was recently extradited from California to Oregon has been arraigned on a murder charge stemming from the cold case. Mark Sanfratello, 72, was arraigned Wednesday in Josephine County Circuit Court in southern Oregon after a grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder in the death of Teresa Peroni, the Oregon attorney general's office said in a statement. Sanfratello is being held without bail, according to online court records. His defense attorney, Elizabeth Baker, said he is 'claiming all the rights afforded him under the law.' Peroni disappeared in 1983 at age 27 after attending a party in a rural area near the small town of Selma. Authorities say she was last seen walking into the woods with Sanfratello, her boyfriend at the time. Authorities investigated, but there was not enough evidence to move forward with charges. In 1997 a human skull was found on a nearby property, which was then searched with the use of a cadaver dog, according to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. The skull was sent to the University of North Texas for examination. The sheriff's office reopened the case in 2024, with investigators collecting new DNA evidence and using modern forensic testing. With the additional DNA, experts at the university were able to confirm that the skull was Peroni's. Sanfratello was taken into custody last month in Chico, California. Investigators are still seeking information from anyone who attended the party. 'What happened to Teresa Peroni left her family with decades of uncertainty and grief,' Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'While the legal process is now underway and it's important not to prejudge its outcome, this arrest reflects the progress that's possible when law enforcement agencies persist and evolve with new tools. It's a powerful reminder that time doesn't erase the need for answers.' It is the second recent Oregon cold case that has been linked to someone in California. State police said in May that a man who was found dead along Interstate 5 in Oregon had been identified after nearly 45 years and that notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft was the only person under investigation for the 1980 killing.
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of his then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
This undated photo released by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System shows Teresa Peroni before her disappearance in 1983. (NamUs via AP) Warning: The following story may contain graphic details. GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A man who is suspected in the disappearance of his then-girlfriend in the 1980s and was recently extradited from California to Oregon has been arraigned on a murder charge stemming from the cold case. Mark Sanfratello, 72, was arraigned Wednesday in Josephine County Circuit Court in southern Oregon after a grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder in the death of Teresa Peroni, the Oregon attorney general's office said in a statement. Sanfratello is being held without bail, according to online court records. His defence attorney, Elizabeth Baker, said he is 'claiming all the rights afforded him under the law.' Peroni disappeared in 1983 at age 27 after attending a party in a rural area near the small town of Selma. Authorities say she was last seen walking into the woods with Sanfratello, her boyfriend at the time. Authorities investigated, but there was not enough evidence to move forward with charges. In 1997 a human skull was found on a nearby property, which was then searched with the use of a cadaver dog, according to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. The skull was sent to the University of North Texas for examination. The sheriff's office reopened the case in 2024, with investigators collecting new DNA evidence and using modern forensic testing. With the additional DNA, experts at the university were able to confirm that the skull was Peroni's. Sanfratello was taken into custody last month in Chico, California. Investigators are still seeking information from anyone who attended the party. 'What happened to Teresa Peroni left her family with decades of uncertainty and grief,' Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'While the legal process is now underway and it's important not to prejudge its outcome, this arrest reflects the progress that's possible when law enforcement agencies persist and evolve with new tools. It's a powerful reminder that time doesn't erase the need for answers.' It is the second recent Oregon cold case that has been linked to someone in California. State police said in May that a man who was found dead along Interstate 5 in Oregon had been identified after nearly 45 years and that notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft was the only person under investigation for the 1980 killing.
The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of his then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
A man who is suspected in the disappearance of his then-girlfriend in the 1980s and was recently extradited from California to Oregon has been arraigned on a murder charge stemming from the cold case. Mark Sanfratello, 72, was arraigned Wednesday in Josephine County Circuit Court in southern Oregon after a grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder in the death of Teresa Peroni, the Oregon attorney general's office said in a statement. Sanfratello is being held without bail, according to online court records. His defense attorney, Elizabeth Baker, said he is 'claiming all the rights afforded him under the law.' Peroni disappeared in 1983 at age 27 after attending a party in a rural area near the small town of Selma. Authorities say she was last seen walking into the woods with Sanfratello, her boyfriend at the time. Authorities investigated, but there was not enough evidence to move forward with charges. In 1997 a human skull was found on a nearby property, which was then searched with the use of a cadaver dog, according to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. The skull was sent to the University of North Texas for examination. The sheriff's office reopened the case in 2024, with investigators collecting new DNA evidence and using modern forensic testing. With the additional DNA, experts at the university were able to confirm that the skull was Peroni's. Sanfratello was taken into custody last month in Chico, California. Investigators are still seeking information from anyone who attended the party. 'What happened to Teresa Peroni left her family with decades of uncertainty and grief,' Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'While the legal process is now underway and it's important not to prejudge its outcome, this arrest reflects the progress that's possible when law enforcement agencies persist and evolve with new tools. It's a powerful reminder that time doesn't erase the need for answers.' It is the second recent Oregon cold case that has been linked to someone in California. State police said in May that a man who was found dead along Interstate 5 in Oregon had been identified after nearly 45 years and that notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft was the only person under investigation for the 1980 killing.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Associated Press
Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of his then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A man who is suspected in the disappearance of his then-girlfriend in the 1980s and was recently extradited from California to Oregon has been arraigned on a murder charge stemming from the cold case. Mark Sanfratello, 72, was arraigned Wednesday in Josephine County Circuit Court in southern Oregon after a grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder in the death of Teresa Peroni, the Oregon attorney general's office said in a statement. Sanfratello is being held without bail, according to online court records. His defense attorney, Elizabeth Baker, said he is 'claiming all the rights afforded him under the law.' Peroni disappeared in 1983 at age 27 after attending a party in a rural area near the small town of Selma. Authorities say she was last seen walking into the woods with Sanfratello, her boyfriend at the time. Authorities investigated, but there was not enough evidence to move forward with charges. In 1997 a human skull was found on a nearby property, which was then searched with the use of a cadaver dog, according to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office. The skull was sent to the University of North Texas for examination. The sheriff's office reopened the case in 2024, with investigators collecting new DNA evidence and using modern forensic testing. With the additional DNA, experts at the university were able to confirm that the skull was Peroni's. Sanfratello was taken into custody last month in Chico, California. Investigators are still seeking information from anyone who attended the party. 'What happened to Teresa Peroni left her family with decades of uncertainty and grief,' Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'While the legal process is now underway and it's important not to prejudge its outcome, this arrest reflects the progress that's possible when law enforcement agencies persist and evolve with new tools. It's a powerful reminder that time doesn't erase the need for answers.' It is the second recent Oregon cold case that has been linked to someone in California. State police said in May that a man who was found dead along Interstate 5 in Oregon had been identified after nearly 45 years and that notorious California serial killer Randy Kraft was the only person under investigation for the 1980 killing.
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
An Oregon woman disappeared 42 years ago. DNA advancements lead to ex-boyfriend's indictment on murder.
A 72-year-old man was indicted on murder charges this week in connection with the disappearance of his former girlfriend 42 years ago after new DNA evidence emerged. Teresa Peroni was 27 years old when she disappeared on or around July 4, 1983, in Selma, Oregon. According to the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, she was last seen with her then-boyfriend Mark Sanfratello, who was 29 at the time, walking into a wooded area while attending a party. Teresa Peroni was 27 when she disappeared on or around July 4, 1983 after a fight with her then-boyfriend. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System "Following an argument over Peroni having another lover, Peroni and boyfriend went into the woods at 1270 Illinois River Rd," her profile on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System says. "Peroni never returns." An investigation was launched soon after her family reported her missing. Despite the sheriff's office determining that Peroni's disappearance was "suspicious in nature," the Josephine County District Attorney's Office determined there was not enough evidence to file charges. At the time, a body was not found. Teresa Peroni was photographed about a year before her disappearance. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System For 14 years, Peroni's disappearance remained cold until a human skull was found on a nearby property in 1997. A search with a cadaver dog did not locate any other human remains and the skull was sent for DNA testing through the University of North Texas. In a news release last week, the sheriff's office said it had reopened the investigation last year, saying it started looking for any known individuals still alive who had "some type of involvement with the cold case." Additional DNA was obtained, which helped the University of North Texas to confirm that the skull was that of Peroni. A grand jury indicted Sanfratello on a murder charge on June 27 after it was presented with new DNA evidence and the investigation, the sheriff's office said. Teresa Peroni's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance in 1983 was arrested in Chico, California, on an indictment of murder 42 years after she went missing. Josephine County Sheriff's Office Police in Chico, California, located, detained and questioned Sanfratello. He is awaiting extradition to Josephine County.
