His murder remained unsolved for 30 years. Until now

Case cold 30 years ago solved with new DNA technology. Murder suspect lived for decades under a new name until he was found in Arizona

(ABOVE: Undated image of Cindy Wanner released by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Placer County Sheriff’s Office)

For more than 30 years, the answer to the question of who killed Cindy Wanner remained shrouded in mystery for family and U.S. authorities after the woman disappeared from a Northern California home, leaving everything behind — including a baby.

The sudden disappearance in 1991 shook residents of Granite Bay, a Sacramento suburb, where the 35-year-old mother of two had gone to clean her sister’s house, investigators said.

Cindy’s 11-month-old baby was found trapped in a high chair and crying, without her mother, when a relative arrived at the house that day.

An extensive search operation ended three weeks later when Cindy’s body was found in a remote area about 40 miles from her sister’s home.

But many questions remained about who was behind Wanner’s death — and why.

Over the years, authorities continued to analyze evidence without conclusive results, until new DNA analysis technologies gave them renewed hope in identifying the killer.

Suspect lived decades without arousing suspicion

Recently, detectives sent one in Cindy Wanner’s case to the forensic lab of a neighboring sheriff’s office. The result revealed a genetic match that identified 64-year-old James Lawhead Jr. as the suspect, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office explained.

Although the DNA match led them to Lawhead, finding him proved to be a challenge.

Investigators found no trace of the man and “he simply appeared to have been missing since 2005,” Sheriff Wayne Woo said in late April.

“We explored every possibility as to what could have happened to him — whether he was living under a false identity, whether he had left the country or even whether he was dead,” Woo said, adding that authorities checked records in both the U.S. and Canada.

Detectives asked other agencies for help and the Scottsdale Police Department, using the Arizona Department of Transportation, identified a match, Woo said.

The system is typically used to detect fake driving licenses, fraudulent identity documents and suspected identity theft.

In Arizona, the suspect did not use his real name. Lawhead lived under the identity of Vincent Reynolds, according to the sheriff’s office, and resided in Bullhead City, near the Nevada border and nearly 600 miles from Placer County.

Authorities believe the suspect may be linked to other crimes

The man was arrested in the driveway of his own home in Bullhead City on April 24.

After the arrest, investigators searched the residence and found loaded weapons, a bag containing $15,000 and a disposable cell phone, the sheriff added.

Lawhead faces murder and kidnapping charges, according to Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire, and has now.

CNN was unable to identify an attorney representing Lawhead.

“This arrest is a powerful reminder that time does not erase responsibilities, nor does it diminish our commitment,” argued Gire in a statement after the arrest.

Lawhead’s neighbors in Bullhead City who were shocked to discover the man lived among them.

Investigators later discovered the home belonged to Lawhead’s sister, who previously told authorities she had no contact with her brother “for over 20 years,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The sister, Terry Lawhead Steele, 71, was arrested in South Carolina for complicity, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said.

CNN reached out to the district attorney’s office for comment and was unable to determine whether Terry Steele has legal representation.

During a search of the woman’s home in San Clemente, California, investigators said they found evidence that she owned the house where Lawhead lived and that she had maintained contact with her brother over the years, despite her telling authorities otherwise.

“These arrests represent a significant step toward justice for Cindy and the family who have waited decades for answers,” the sheriff’s office argued in a statement.

Detectives are now trying to reconstruct Lawhead’s movements over the past 20 years, including stints in states such as Washington, Oregon and Arizona. They are also investigating whether he may be linked to other crimes.

Before Cindy’s kidnapping and murder, Lawhead broke into a home in 1980 and was convicted of sex crimes involving a 71-year-old grandmother and an underage girl, according to Woo and criminal records.

He served 11 years of a 19-year sentence and was released a few months before Cindy’s murder, authorities said.

“We encourage law enforcement agencies, especially on the West Coast, to review cold cases that may have similarities to this one and contact our team,” the Placer County Sheriff’s Office appealed.