Man arrested 40 years after woman was found beaten to death in a park

A 40-year-old Northern California cold case finally has a break, thanks to DNA evidence that has linked a suspect to the heinous crime.

Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said it arrested 65-year-old Alfredo Carretero Jr. Monday for the murder of Noelle Russo, whose naked body was discovered beaten to death in Rohnert Park on June 27, 1983.

Detectives with the Violent Crime Investigations Unit, or VCI, had been investigating the circumstances surrounding the 37-year-old's death ever since, conducting numerous interviews and developing multiple persons of interests over the years. However, no arrests had been made — until now.

From 2010 to 2023, additional items of DNA analysis evidence were submitted to crime labs. From this, police were finally able to positively identify Carretero, one of the original persons of interest in Russo's death, as a true suspect.

VCI detectives then obtained a warrant to arrest Carretero for Russo's murder, and on Oct. 2, authorities took the 65-year-old into custody in Lakeport.

Carretero was booked into the Main Adult Detention Facility for the murder and is being held without bail.

"The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and Sonoma County District Attorney's Office are both dedicated to justice for murder victims, whether the case is new or old," the sheriff's office announced. "The VCI Unit continues to investigate many cold cases and relentlessly pursue justice for the victims of violent crime."

Carretero is due back in court on Oct. 18.