Front Page Detectives
BREAKING NEWS

Minnesota Man, 78, Accused of Stabbing Illinois Teen Over 35 Times in Cold Case That Baffled Police for Almost 50 Years

naperville
Source: Naperville Police Department.

Dec. 8 2023, Published 1:03 p.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to Email

A 78-year-old Minnesota man remains in custody after advances in DNA and genetic genealogy analysis allegedly connected him with a cold-case murder of a teenage girl in Illinois that occurred over 50 years ago, according to officials.

Article continues below advertisement

Barry Lee Whelpley, of Mounds View, Minnesota, was taken into custody in late spring 2021 and accused of the killing of 15-year-old Julie Ann Hanson, according to Naperville police.

On July 8, 1972, Hanson went missing in Naperville, Illinois. Later that day, her body was found in a field. Police also recovered the bike she was riding at the time to go to her brother's baseball game. She had suffered over 35 stab wounds.

Article continues below advertisement

Detectives continued to work the case over the decades, but they were unsuccessful in identifying a suspect until genetic genealogy recently led investigators to Whelpley, police said.

MORE ON:
Murder

According to authorities, the suspect was 27 years old and lived within a mile of the victim’s home in Naperville when she was murdered.

“This horrific crime has haunted this family, this community and this department for 49 years,” Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall said of the longtime investigation when charges were brought against Whelpley.

He faces first-degree murder charges, and his bond was set at $10 million.

Article continues below advertisement

He added: “ I could not be more proud of the determination and resourcefulness of our investigators, both past and present, who never gave up on Julie.”

While the suspect was being held in lieu of $10 million bail in the Will County jail, in October, Whelpley's defense attorneys petitioned for his release under the recently passed Illinois SAFE-T Act, which eliminates bond and bail in some criminal cases.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Defense attorney Terry Ekl pointed out, in part, Whelpley's deteriorating health and advanced age in his client's request to be released ahead of trial.

After a review of the murder case as well as other evidence, Will County Judge David Carlson ruled the defendant must remain in custody until the case goes to trial.

Advertisement

Become a Front Page Detective

Sign up to receive breaking
Front Page Detectives
news and exclusive investigations.

More Stories

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES™️. A DIVISION OF EMPIRE MEDIA GROUP INC. FRONT PAGE DETECTIVES is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.