Napa Police identified a suspect in the 1974 cold case of Anita Elizabeth Fagiani Andrews. “A man serving a life-term in a Colorado prison for killing a female hiker is a suspect in the unsolved slaying of a Napa bar employee in 1974, Napa police said.
DNA links 70-year-old Roy A. Melanson, a drifter, to the July 10, 1974, stabbing murder and sexual assault of Anita Elizabeth Andrews, 51, at Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge at 813 Main St. in Napa, Cmdr. Andy Lewis said in a news release. Andrews was working at her family’s bar the night she was killed.”
Anita’s case has been inactive for years until forensic evidence suitable for DNA research was collected. The results were entered into the Convicted Offender, Unsolved Crime Scene Evidence, or Missing Persons data bank for comparison with known offenders.
Anita Elizabeth Andrews’ body was found in the stock room of the Fagiani Cocktail Lounge in July 1974. Her murder remained unsolved for decades until police found DNA evidence that linked Roy Melanson to the crime scene. Melanson was found guilty of murder in the first degree in 2011.
The DOJ is analyzing more evidence in the Anita Andrews‘ slaying and police are asking anyone with information about Mr. Melanson to call Detective Don Winegar at 1-707-258-7879 or e-mail him at [email protected], Lewis said.
[…] during a two-day hearing earlier this month, the grand jury found there was enough evidence to hold Melanson in connection with the […]