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Las Vegas police identify suspect in student's 1979 murder

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Posted at 11:26 AM, Nov 30, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-30 11:26:49-05

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified a man Monday who they suspect kidnapped, raped, and murdered a high school student in 1979.

The department met with the media and provided details about the cold case dating back more than 40 years.

Lt. Ray Spencer said the student, Kim Bryant, was last seen at a Dairy Queen by Western High School.

Her backpack was later found by Decatur and Charleston Boulevards, and her body was also found in the area — but the case went cold.

However, thanks to a generous donation, police were able to retest a DNA sample and identify Jonny Blake Peterson as a suspect in the case. He died in 1993, according to police.

The press conference was held at 2 p.m. at the department's headquarters and a live stream of the announcement can be seen below:

This story was originally published by staff at KTNV.