SALMON, Idaho – A 50-year-old unsolved murder case has been solved, police said, after DNA evidence led them to a suspect in eastern Idaho.
Michael Eugene Mullen, 75, was arrested Wednesday in Lemhi County in connection with the 1973 murder of a Swedish woman.
Nina “Nadine” Fischer, a Swedish citizen, was sexually assaulted and murdered in her home in San Rafael, an unincorporated community, in November of that year while her husband was at work, according to a news release from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office in California.
The case was investigated but remained closed due to a lack of clues.
In 2021, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office referred the case to the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program for assistance in developing investigative leads.
A few months later, the Familial Search Program provided a tip to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation lasted three years and the suspect was identified as Mullen, an Idaho resident, the sheriff’s office said.
On Wednesday, investigators from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office assisted the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police in arresting Mullen as part of the investigation into Fischer’s murder.
According to local police, Mullen was arrested without incident near Salmon.
Mullen was taken to the Lemhi County Jail and held pending trial for his extradition to California.
“The Marin County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Idaho State Police, Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office, Marin County District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation for the countless investigative hours and perseverance that contributed to the closure of this case,” the press release said.
