A suspect in the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Washington state more than three decades ago has been apprehended in Illinois.
Robert D. Washburn of Eureka, Illinois, is in Woodford County Jail following a joint investigation by Illinois State Police and the Tacoma Police Department. Washburn will be extradited to Washington state, authorities said.
On Aug. 4, 1986, Jennifer Bastian left her home in Tacoma around 2:30 p.m. on her bicycle, leaving a note that said she’d return by 6:30 p.m., Tacoma police said in a statement.
She had planned to ride her bike to Point Defiance Park to train for an upcoming bike tour in the San Juan islands but never returned.
Several witnesses reported credible sightings of her around the 5-mile drive of Point Defiance Park as late as 6 p.m. that day, police said. Her body was found Aug. 28 in a wooded area near where witnesses had spotted her.
Jennifer’s murder case was never closed, authorities said.
The Illinois State Police assisted in the case after the Tacoma Police Department and Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office developed probable cause to arrest the suspect, authorities said.
ABC News’ Ben Stein and Jessica Zellermayer contributed to this report.
