The Pima County Sheriff's Department has arrested a 79-year-old woman in connection with a murder that took place more than 50 years ago.
According to a news release from PCSD, Carol Ann Beall was arrested Thursday in the 7800 block of North Starr Grass Drive.
The news release said the case began in October of 1975, when human remains were discovered at the Pima County Waste Transfer Station.
Investigators collected evidence but were unable to identify the remains, the news release said. They could only determine the remains belonged to an adult male.
Investigators were unable to generate leads and the case went cold until 2025, when the sheriff's department partnered with a company specializing in forensic genealogy to assist in identifying human remains.
Detectives submitted evidence for advanced DNA testing and genealogical analysis, the news release said.
The DNA led investigators to identify the granddaughter of the man, the news release said. She told detectives her grandfather went missing in 1975, but no missing person report had been filed.
The information generated a lead for detectives to identify the remains as William Reginald Sipfle, the news release said. Sipfle was 73 at the time of his disappearance.
As a result of the investigation, detectives arrested Beall, the victim's stepdaughter, on suspicion of first-degree murder connected to the case.
The investigation is ongoing.
