60°F
weather icon Windy

Murder arrest made 27 years after woman’s disappearance

CHICO, Calif. — Authorities in Northern California say they have arrested a man in the killing of his girlfriend, who disappeared nearly 30 years ago.

The Butte County Sherriff’s Office said Monday it arrested 55-year-old Richard Pyle last week in Stockton in the killing of Tracy Zandstra, who was living with him in Stirling City when she vanished in 1991.

The office says the body of the 29-year-old woman was never found that detectives have evidence showing she was killed and her body disposed of.

Officials wouldn’t discuss the evidence that led them to Pyle, who was living as a transient in Stockton.

It was not immediately known if Pyle has an attorney. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in the Butte County Superior Court.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
MORE STORIES
THE LATEST
Pentagon bolsters the US presence in the Middle East

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending bomber aircraft, fighter jets and more Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. presence in the region.

Waves of Israeli airstrikes pummel Gaza, Lebanon

The latest airstrikes come against the backdrop of the Biden administration’s renewed diplomatic push days before the U.S. election to reach temporary cease-fire deals.

Waves of rocket fire from Lebanon hit Israel, killing 7

The violence came as top U.S. diplomats were in the region to push for cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza, hoping to wind down the wars in the Middle East in the Biden administration’s final months.