De Anna Lynn Johnson was only 14 when she disappeared on a fall night in 1982 after attending a party just doors down from her Vacaville home. Hours later, a railroad worker found the teenage girl’s bludgeoned body in a nearby field.

In the days that followed, investigators with the Vacaville Police Department gathered evidence and talked to teens and young adults who had attended the party on Nov. 15, 1982. But memories of the night were “somewhat confused” because of alcohol and drug use, according to Vacaville police Lt. Matt Lydon. Eventually, the investigation into De Anna’s murder went cold.

For three decades, De Anna’s death haunted the detectives, who continued looking for clues.

On Wednesday, police announced that they had finally found the man who they believe killed her.