California man arrested four decades in cold case killing of woman beaten to death

Noelle Russo;s naked body was found beaten to death on June 27, 1983 but her suspected killer eluded capture for more than four decades as her case stalled

A California man was arrested Monday in connection to the cold case killing of a woman beaten to death and later found naked. 

Alfredo Carretero Jr., 65, was taken into custody in Lakeport, 120 miles north of San Francisco, in relation to the 1983 killing of Noelle Russo, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said. 

Russo's naked body was found on June 27, 1983 in Rohnert Park, 50 miles north of San Francisco. 

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Noelle Russo was killed in 1983 and her body was found naked north of San Francisco, authorities said.  (Sonoma County Sheriff's Office)

At the time, detectives collected a "significant amount" of evidence and conducted numerous interviews. Carretero was an original person of interest in the case. 

Between 2010 and 2023, investigators submitted several items of evidence for DNA analysis to the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and the Serological Research Institute.

Carretero was identified as a suspect in the killing based on DNA and other evidence, authorities said. 

The suspected killer of Noelle Russo was arrested Monday, 40 years after she was found dead.  (Sonoma County Sheriff's Office)

An arrest warrant was issued for him and he is being held with no bail. The sheriff's office did not disclose Carretero's relationship with Russo, if any. 

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..