Indictment returned in nearly 50-year-old Morrow County cold case

MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Morrow County grand jury returned an indictment for one count of murder last month for a cold case from 1979, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

After being reported missing on June 1, 1979, Catherine Conley's body was found on June 15, 1979.

Morrow and Marion County law enforcement conducted the initial investigation, which eventually became a cold case.

According to a media release, Detective Brandon Newsome of the Morrow County Sheriff's Office reopened and investigated the case after developing a theory "based upon a prison letter that was discovered to have been sent to a friend of the defendant's."

In the letter, the defendant, who was not identified by prosecutors, comments on the murder and that "law enforcement knew he killed the victim, but that they could not find the evidence to prove it," the release said.

The defendant's medical history also supported the defendant's involvement.

The recipient of the letter testified that the defendant "confided in" them upon the recipient's release from prison. The witness also provided links to the victim that may have pointed to a motive.

The defendant passed away in 2019, and the case was dismissed by the court shortly after the indictment.