(CBS DETROIT) – A Michigan man was charged Tuesday in the 2003 murder and sexual assault of 57-year-old Jeanette Wilton, whose body was found in the Flint River.
Jason Cabello, 47, of Saginaw, was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct, the Michigan attorney general’s office said. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Wilton’s body was found near her home in Saginaw on February 22, 2003. An autopsy revealed that Wilton had been strangled, stabbed multiple times and suffered blunt force trauma to the head and face.
Officials say Cabello was previously in a relationship with a relative of Wilton.
The Michigan State Police Third District Police Cold Case Team reopened the investigation in 2021 and reexamined the DNA with the assistance of Western Michigan University’s cold case program and the MSP laboratory. DNA linked Cabello to the case earlier this year.
“For more than a decade, Jeanette’s loved ones have lived without answers, but with these charges, we are now one step closer to bringing long-awaited justice,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “I want to thank the Michigan State Police, whose incredible efforts made this breakthrough possible. Their work proves that no case is too cold to solve, and no victim is forgotten.”
Cabello is scheduled to appear in court on December 17.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of an attack by Cabello is asked to contact MSP Detective Sgt. Bill Arndt at 989-615-6257 or email MSP-ColdCase@michigan.gov.
