Suspect Arrested In 1986 Murder Of Kathleen Flynn: Norwalk PD

NORWALK, CT — An arrest has been made 33 years after the 1986 murder of 11-year-old Norwalk resident Kathleen Flynn, Norwalk police announced Thursday.

Marc J. Karun, of Stetson, ME, was taken into custody by members of the Maine State Police Major Crime Unit as he left his residence at about 11:20 a.m.

He was considered a fugitive from justice and will face charges in connection with the sexual assault and murder of Flynn, who was walking home from Ponus Ridge Middle School in Norwalk when she was killed.

Karun's arrest "occurred while [Norwalk Police] Lieutenant Art Weisgerber and Sergeant Alex Tolnay were in Bangor, Maine" to execute the warrant.

Details of the circumstances that led to Karun becoming a suspect in the murder, and what led to his capture, were not disclosed, but Norwalk police officials said the department plans to hold a press conference on the matter in the near future.

The exact charges have not been released, and Karun, whose age also was not released, is being held at the Penobscot County Jail until his terms of extradition are determined, according to Norwalk Police Lt. Terrence Blake.

In a statement, the Flynn family thanked Norwalk police for the department's efforts.

"We wish to thank the Norwalk Police Department for bringing Kathleen's murderer to
justice. This continues to be a very difficult time for us and we do not wish to make any
further comments. We ask the media to please respect our privacy."

Flynn's murder haunted Norwalk for decades, and the case was considered cold in 2016 when Weisgerber profiled it on the department's Facebook page.

Below is Weisgerber's description of the case:

On Tuesday, September 23rd, 1986 at 5:12 pm, Kathleen Flynn was reported missing by her mother after Kathleen did not arrive home after school. When Kathleen did not arrive home by 3:15 pm, Mrs. Flynn drove to the school to look for Kathleen and checked the surrounding neighborhoods but was unable to locate her. Kathleen normally walked home from school using the path that leads to Hunters Lane and then to Fillow Street. Several of Kathleen's friends were contacted and one or two last saw Kathleen walking towards the beginning of the path by the tennis courts a few minutes after school ended.

An extensive search was initiated with teams contacting friends of Kathleen Flynn while other teams began to search the woods on both sides of the path. Eventually, the body of Kathleen Flynn was discovered in a secluded wooded area over 100 feet from the path. Kathleen Flynn had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.

Over the years, numerous tips have been provided for possible suspects, some vague descriptions and some as a hunch. Some descriptions were also fabricated thinking it would help the investigation. A flyer was produced at one time with composite sketches of 3 white males with long dirty hair operating a green vehicle with New York plates. There is a possibility that the car was not involved in the Flynn case but was rather a group of teenagers that borrowed the car and were on school grounds and took off when a teacher leaving the school approached the vehicle.