A 68-year-old man was arrested Thursday and charged with the 1994 murder of his wife, county police said.
Police said Donald Lester was questioned after the October 1994 disappearance of his wife, Linda Lester, 31, whose body was found several days later off of Interstate 70.
While police felt they did not have enough to make an arrest at the time, authories said, forensic evidence collected from the victim provided detectives with the evidence they needed to make the arrest last week.
“We commend the Baltimore County Police Department’s Cold Case Squad for their vigilant and dedicated work to close this case and achieve justice for Linda Lester and her family,” said Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier.
Linda Lester was last seen alive on Oct. 11, 1994, police said. Police said Donald and Linda were going through a divorce at the time and living in separate homes. Linda Lester left work on the day she disappeared and was heading to Donald’s house to pick up her 2-year-old child, police said.
Police said that it was her sister who reported her missing the next day.
Linda Lester was a Baltimore County 911 police dispatcher.
“As a member of our 911 team, Linda worked tirelessly to make our county a safer place where every call for help was answered swiftly and with compassion,” Klausmeier said. “Anyone who breaks the law in Baltimore County will be held accountable, and we’re grateful to our police department for their tireless work on this case.”
Donald Lester is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
–Antoine Tettelin