Murder suspect arrested after 33 years on the run
Yao under arrest by Shanghai Yangpu police officers.
A 61-year-old man who had been on run for 33 years was captured recently, Shanghai police said on Tuesday.
Yao was sought for a murder committed in 1991, driven by a desire to buy a pair of 300-yuan (US$42) sneakers.
Police said that in December 1991, the man, surnamed Yao, was working in Shanghai on a meagre monthly salary of 40-50 yuan.
On the morning of December 9, he broke into the home of a man named Li, fatally stabbing Li's wife before fleeing the scene, leaving behind a half-empty cigarette pack and a map.
The cigarette pack and map left at the murder scene
Despite extensive investigations at the time, the case remained unsolved.
In May this year, a breakthrough came when new forensic analysis matched Yao's DNA with records from other provinces.
With this information, police officers in Yangpu District were able to locate and arrest Yao.
Facing difficulties due to Yao's denial and lack of direct evidence, police conducted a massive investigation over 48 days, eventually confirming his involvement and securing justice for the victim.
Police officers in Baoshan District conduct a biological sample test.
Since 2020, Shanghai police have solved 129 cold cases, including eight this year. They have resolved four cases spanning over 20 years, with the oldest dating back 33 years.
In another recent case, Baoshan police solved a 23-year-old murder. After finding clues such as a blood-stained knife and a phone submerged in a basin, they used phone records to trace the suspect.
However, the suspect, Shen, had died by the time he was identified through a match with biological data from a related investigation in Jiangsu.
A sketch of the suspect in a 23-year-old murder case drawn by Baoshan police.
