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16 years ago a teen was found dead in an abandoned building. Police announced they just arrested the accused murderer.

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Source: MEGA; Alexandria police

Apr. 14 2021, Published 11:13 a.m. ET

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A Louisiana man was arrested in connection to a 16-year-old cold-case murder where the teenage victim was found dead in an abandoned building. 

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In October 2004, the body of 19-year-old Courtney Coco was found in Winnie, Texas, according to KALB. A cause of death could not be determined because of her body's condition, but it was determined to be a homicide.

Coco was from Alexandria, Louisiana, and was last seen days before she was found dead. 

Coco was found partially clothed and investigators suspected she had been dead for several days before being found, according to NBC News. A week after her killing, Coco’s car was found in Houston along with her belongings.  

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A detective told NBC he believes Coco was strangled at her house and her body was stuffed in her car’s trunk before being left at the abandoned building. 

The case went cold, and police did not make any arrests. Coco’s story was featured on TV shows and podcasts. 

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On April 13, more than 16 years after she was found dead, Alexandria, Louisiana police announced the arrest of David Anthony Burns, 43, in connection to Coco’s death. He was charged with second-degree murder. 

Parish District Attorney Phillip Terrell spoke to KALB and said media coverage helped renew interest in the case. 

“I can’t really talk about the specifics of the case,” he told the station. “I don’t want to do anything to compromise the integrity of the case. We waited so long and worked so hard to get it to this point. It was a very old case, the evidence was old. It’s a tough case. The Alexandria Police did a phenomenal job in staying the course and waiting until the appropriate time to make the arrest.”

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