DNA testing leads to an arrest in the 1989 cold case murder of a Springfield teen.
62-year-old Paul Bowles of Fulton, MO, was arrested last week in connection to the rape and murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Williams more than 35 years ago.
Bowles was identified as a suspect after DNA matching his profile was found on the victim.
Williams disappeared on the night of September 8, 1989, after a friend dropped her off at her home. Williams told the friend she was then going to walk to her husband’s business. However, she never arrived. Williams’ husband reported her missing on September 11. On September 20, her body was discovered by three minors walking along a roadway.
DNA from the case was first tested in 2019, but the results from that test were not enough to allow for a database search. The evidence was tested again in 2024 with help from the non-profit cold case group Season of Justice. That time, Bowles was identified as a suspect.
At the time he was identified, Bowles was being held at the Fulton State Mental Hospital in Callaway County, Missouri, on unrelated charges. He is currently being held in the Calloway County Jail in Fulton on charges of 2nd-degree murder and forcible rape.
Detectives continue to investigate the case.
