Suspect charged in 1989 cold case in Prince George's County

FORESTVILLE, Md. - The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Cold Case Unit charge a suspect related to an unsolved 1989 murder in Forestville, Maryland. 

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

Police say James Cole, 64, is charged with the murder and sexual assault of 27-year-old Cynthia Rodgers. Cole is currently in prison in Cumberland, Maryland, where he is serving a life sentence for an unrelated first degree rape conviction.

Rodgers was found dead in a wooded area in the 6000 block of Surrey Square Lane Service Road in Forestville back in January 1989. Investigators say she was suffering from trauma and had been sexually assaulted. The medical examiner later determined her cause of death as strangulation with blunt force trauma, and ruled it a homicide.

The investigation into the case continued until January of this year, when Cold Case detectives had evidence retested. They say thanks to advancements in DNA technology, they were able to get a complete unidentified male profile. They matched the profile to Cole using the State of Maryland's DNA database. 

Detectives say there's no evidence suggesting that Cole and Rodgers knew each other before the crime.

Cole faces several charges related to this case including first degree murder and rape.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 5 DC ON YOUTUBE

Detectives are asking anyone with relevant information about this investigation to contact the Prince George’s County Police Department.