An arrest has been made nearly half a century after a young California woman was strangled to death in San Jose. Willie Eugene Sims, 69, was arrested in Jefferson, Ohio, in connection with the death of Jeanette Ralston, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Sims has been charged with murder and arraigned in Ashtabula County Court before being sent to California.
Ralston was found dead in the back seat of her Volkswagen Beetle on Feb. 1, 1977. Her body was discovered in the carport area of an apartment complex near the bar where friends say she was last seen. She had been strangled with a long-sleeve dress shirt, and evidence suggested she was sexually assaulted. Her car showed signs of an attempted arson.
Friends reported seeing Ralston leave the bar with an unknown man the evening before her death, but she never returned as promised. Police conducted interviews and created a suspect sketch, but the case eventually went cold.
A thumbprint found on Ralston’s cigarette carton in her car was recently matched to Sims after law enforcement requested a search through the FBI’s updated system. DNA collected from Sims earlier this year also matched evidence found at the crime scene.
“Every day, forensic science grows better, and every day criminals are closer to being caught,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated. “Cases may grow old and be forgotten by the public. We don’t forget and we don’t give up.”
William Weigel, homicide team supervisor for the Santa Clara County public defender’s office, urged caution and emphasized the importance of allowing the legal process to unfold before making judgments.
Sims, an army private at the time of Ralston’s death, was stationed about 68 miles south of San Jose. He had previously been convicted of assault to commit murder in Monterey County.
Allen Ralston, Jeanette Ralston’s son, expressed gratitude and relief upon learning of the arrest. “I’m just glad that somebody cared,” he said.
