A 70-year-old Reno, Nevada man has been arrested for murder in connection with the slaying of a 5-year-old girl more than 40 years ago. Robert Lanoue has been charged with the murder of Anne Pham, who disappeared while attending an elementary school in Seaside, Calif., KRXI-TV reported. Lanoue was her then-29-year-old small-town neighbor at the former Fort Ord military outpost in Monterey Bay, California. Pham was never seen again after she disappeared while walking to the kindergarten on January 21, 1982. Her remains were found two days later at the former Fort Ord. SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING CAME DAYS AFTER NEW YORK SIGNED TWO MORE GUN BILLS Robert Lanoue is accused of kidnapping and murdering Anne Pham in 1982 ((L) Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (R) Seaside Police Department) Police say Pham had been choked and sexually assaulted. Pham’s murder remained unsolved for decades until investigators reopened the case in 2020 and submitted evidence in the case for DNA testing. FOX NEWS ANALYST GIANNO CALDWELL LYING BROTHER KILLED IN CHICAGO: ‘THE FLAME HAS GROWN’ A new type of DNA test not previously available to investigators was used to identify Lanoue as a suspect. Members of the Seaside Police Department stand next to photo by Anne Pham (City of Seaside, CA (Twitter)) Investigators obtained a warrant for Lanoue’s arrest in July, and he is currently being held in Nevada pending extradition to California. SWEDISH CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS CALL FOR CHEMICAL CASTRATION OF SEX ACTORS Lanoue has already spent more than 20 years in prison for other sexual assault charges and was in prison for violating his probation at the time of his arrest in this case. Lanoue was charged with first-degree murder along with allegations of special circumstances that he killed her while committing a kidnapping and an indecent act on a child under 14. 5-year-old Anne Pham disappeared while on her way to school in 1982 (Seaside Police Department) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It’s a very strong case. DNA is a big part, genealogy is a big part, and the circumstantial evidence, in this case, is extremely strong,” Seaside Interim Chief Nick Borges told KION-TV. Borges told the Monterey County Weekly that the arrest marks the “biggest day of my professional career.” Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips at [email protected]
