Modern DNA testing has resulted in an arrest that may help solve the cold case murder of 16-year-old Dawn Momohara, nearly 50 years after her partially clothed body was found on the second floor of her Honolulu high school.
On March 21, 1977, Momohara was found on the second floor of the English building at McKinley High School in Honolulu, with an orange fabric wrapped securely around her neck. At the time, she was a sophomore at the institution.
According to the Honolulu Police Department, her old classmate Gideon Castro, now 66, was detained Tuesday in connection with the alleged homicide while residing in a nursing home in Utah. Castro was charged with second-degree murder decades after the case was closed.
Lieutenant Deena Thoemmes of the department’s homicide detail attributed the arrest to advancements in technology that made it possible to use DNA samples in a manner that was not practical in 1977.
According to Thoemmes, officers discovered Momohara half clothed and resting on her back. She was declared dead at the spot and looked to have been sexually assaulted.
Subsequent investigations turned up bruises and other proof that she had been strangled and sexually assaulted.
Thoemmes cited homicide detectives who said Momohara had received a call the morning before her murder from an unidentified male. She told her mother later that day that she and several pals were going to a shopping mall. Her mother didn’t hear from her again.
Detectives interviewed Castro and other friends, family members, and acquaintances regarding the case after her body was discovered, but they were unable to identify a suspect despite following up on a number of leads.
For years, HPD’s website has offered composite sketches of a person of interest and a potential suspect car, encouraging the public to provide any information they may have about the case.
However, in 2019, authorities started analyzing a number of objects found at the murder site, such as a pair of blue shorts and underwear, for DNA evidence. From the sperm on Momohara’s shorts, they were able to extract the DNA profile of an unnamed male the next year.
Earlier this month, police found Castro and successfully matched the unidentifiable DNA profile to him with the help of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, according to authorities. Thoemmes said Castro is currently being held in Salt Lake County and is awaiting extradition to Honolulu.
She added that HPD also collaborated with authorities in the larger Salt Lake City area and thanked all the people and organizations that helped make today’s arrest possible. We appreciate your unwavering devotion to the never-ending search for justice for Dawn and the Momohara family.