NORTH AURORA, Ill. — Authorities announced on Wednesday that DNA evidence collected from the clothing of a woman who was kidnapped and murdered 45 years ago is a match for a suspected serial killer who died two years later. This revelation involves Bruce Lindahl, a man believed to be responsible for the deaths of potentially a dozen women and girls.
Kathy Halle was reported missing in March 1979 after she left her residence in North Aurora. Her body was discovered weeks later in the Fox River, approximately 40 miles west of Chicago, according to information shared by Detective Ryan Peat of the North Aurora police during a press conference. In 1981, Lindahl was found deceased in an apartment in Naperville, a nearby suburb, reportedly due to an accidental injury that caused him to bleed out after fatally stabbing an 18-year-old man. Following his death, investigators discovered numerous photographs of naked women in Lindahl’s apartment, and in 2019, his remains were exhumed for further DNA analysis.
In 2020, it was revealed that Lindahl’s DNA had also linked him to the 1976 murder of Pamela Maurer, 16, whose strangled body was found by a passing driver in Lisle. Regarding Halle’s case, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser confirmed that the DNA evidence strongly indicated Lindahl’s involvement, stating, “The science was good, that it did in fact show that the DNA that was found on Kathy’s clothing belonged to Bruce Lindahl.” Mosser further stated that had Lindahl been alive, they would have proceeded with first-degree murder charges against him.
Halle’s family issued a statement reflecting on the challenges of reopening the case, expressing gratitude for finally obtaining some measure of closure after so many decades. “Thanks to advancements in DNA technology and groundbreaking investigative tools, we are hopeful that other families won’t have to endure the same pain and uncertainty that we faced for so many years,” the family conveyed. They gratefully acknowledged the efforts of the North Aurora Police Department and various other organizations for their relentless commitment to solving this cold case.
At the time of his death, Lindahl was also a suspect in the 1980 rape and kidnapping of Debra Colliander. Authorities believed he had abducted Colliander from a shopping area, later assaulting her at his Aurora residence until she managed to escape and alert authorities from a neighbor’s home. Lindahl was charged but posted bail and was released. Unfortunately, mere days before Colliander was set to testify against him, she disappeared, leading to a halt in the prosecution of the case in 1981. In the summer of 1982, some months post-Lindahl’s death, Colliander’s remains were uncovered by a farmer in a shallow grave. An investigation was inconclusive regarding the cause of death, but her passing was officially ruled a homicide.
