HAYMARKET, Va. (AP) — Prince William County police say DNA from skeletal remains found in the Haymarket area have been linked to a teen missing since 1980.
Authorities say Wednesday that DNA samples collected from the family of Cynthia Joan Gastelle in 2011 matched the remains found by a hiker in 1982 in what was then a remote section of Prince William County. The match was produced by a type of test has only been used in Virginia since 2008.
Police say Gastelle left her Takoma Park home on April 3, 1980, to attend job interviews. The 18-year-old made it to one appointment at a delicatessen and then disappeared.
Police and the teen’s family are now appealing to the public for leads in the long-standing mystery.
