Georgia authorities have arrested a man they say is responsible for the 1988 murder of 8-year-old Joshua Harmon.
James Michael Coates, 56, faces several charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated child molestation, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence, and others, CNN reported.
“The death of Josh and the fact that his killer remained free for such a long time is unimaginable,” Roswell Police Chief James Conroy said in a news release Friday. “I hope this arrest brings the Harmon family a sense of closure.”
The young boy went missing in May of 1988. His parents reported him missing after he didn’t return home from dinner. His body was found in a wooded area near his apartment building in Roswell after a 48-hour search.
The case eventually went cold.
“Investigators regularly revisited the case over the intervening years in pursuit of justice for Joshua and his family,” police said in a statement, “and evidence was consistently re-examined to keep pace with evolving leads and advancing technology.”
Joshua’s body was exhumed earlier this year with hopes of finding new evidence to help solve the case.
In March, the Roswell Police Department received funding from the Georgia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative task force to “pursue additional DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene.”
The results of the test connected Coates to the crime. He was arrested on July 21. He had been convicted on child molestation charges in 1993 in a separate matter.
Joshua’s aunt, Marlene Carlisle, thanked law enforcement for their dedication to solving the case, saying it was “bittersweet” for the family during a news conference on Friday.
“These bulldogs that got through everything and worked for 33 years to solve this for our family — we are forever indebted to all of you,” she said.
“Josh was an amazing young boy who had an uncanny relationship with nature and with God, so I know where he is and I know he’s at peace,” Carlisle said.
Joshua’s mother, Cherie Carlisle Harmon, passed away last year.
“And my sister never gave up,” Carlisle said, adding, “I know she’s smiling down on everybody here today and thanks to you all so much.”
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