Man Charged in 1982 Laurel Murder

Investigators have charged a man with the murder of a Laurel woman more than 30 years after she was found dead, Prince George's County police announced Tuesday.  

Stefanie Sue Watson, 27, disappeared en route to her job at the Laurel-Beltsville Hospital on the night of July 22, 1982. Four days later, police located Watson's car in a 4th Street parking lot. Blood stains were discovered inside.

In September of that year, police said a witness saw someone throw an unknown object into the woods in the 13000 block of Larchdale Road in South Laurel. Upon investigation, the witness discovered human remains, later determined to be those of Watson.

According to the PGPD, detectives with the Cold Case Unit sent away DNA recovered from Watson's car for testing in March of 2013. The DNA was reportedly found to match that of 68-year-old John Ernest Walsh, who was being held on unrelated charges at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, MD.

After police obtained a warrant on June 21, Walsh was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He remains in custody.