Suspect Arrested In 1991 Killing Of Federal Way Teen

FEDERAL WAY, WA — After three decades, the question of who murdered 16-year-old Sarah Yarborough might finally have an answer. King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht on Thursday said investigators arrested a 55-year-old Covington man and searched his home Wednesday night.

"Last night, our detectives were able to tell Sarah Yarborough's parents the news they've waited to hear for 28 years," Sheriff Johanknecht said.

On the morning of December 14th, 1991, Yarborough was killed outside Federal Way High School on her way to a dance competition. Two 12-year-old boys cutting through the school grounds saw a man leaving the bushes around 9 a.m. and went to investigate. There they found Yarborough's body and went to get help. Detectives later met with a jogger in the area who helped describe the suspected killer.

Using that information detectives were able to create two initial sketches, but ultimately no one was identified as a suspect. The case garnered national attention and brought in more than 4,000 tips, none of which came to fruition. Over the years, the DNA evidence was re-examined several times, but the trail largely went cold. Last week, investigators were handed their first major break.

The breakthrough in the case was largely made possible by leaps in DNA profiling and technology. Using samples collected at the crime scene all those years ago, investigators were able to build a genetic profile to point them toward a likely culprit. Last year, detectives also worked with a Virginia lab to generate a modern re-creation of his appearance using a process known as DNA phenotyping.

Over the weekend investigators trailed their suspect and waited for him to put something in the trash they could pull DNA from. Once he did, they quickly sent off the evidence to the Washington State Patrol crime lab. By Wednesday, investigators had a positive match. Detectives later learned the man had been arrested in Benton County in 1994 and found a booking photo that closely resembled the sketches. The man was arrested at a business in Kent on Wednesday night without incident.

The King County Prosecutor's Office plans to file first-degree murder charges on Thursday and seek $2 million bail.