The Rochester Police Department and Monroe County District Attorney’s Office have announced an arrest in the 36-year-old murder of a Rochester teenager.
They’ve arrested 56-year-old Timothy Williams in Florida for the murder of Wendy Jerome, a 14-year-old girl who was raped and murdered on Thanksgiving of 1984. The girl’s body was found on Webster Avenue about two hours after she left a friend’s house for home, but failed to arrive.
Captain Frank Umbrino said the new technique of familial DNA led to a break in the case. Samples collected 36 years ago at the scene were retested using the new techniques and led to potential leads. The DNA match made in July eventually led them to Williams as a suspect.
Williams was arrested in Melbourne, Florida and will be extradited to Rochester to face prosecution.