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The shocking murder of Linda O'Keefe is the subject of CBS' upcoming 48 Hours episode, which is set to air on Saturday, August 27, 2022. O'Keefe was a schoolgirl from California who went missing on July 6, 1973, and was found dead the next morning.
Her killer, James Alan Neel, was caught 45 years later, in February 2019, after his DNA matched the semen found in O'Keefe's body. The disappearance and subsequent murder of O'Keefe shocked the entire town.
Ahead of 48 Hours' Saturday episode, let's look at five of the most important details about the Linda O'Keefe murder case that you need to know.
5 crucial things about the Linda O'Keefe murder you need to know
1) Linda O' Keefe was only 11 years old
Linda O'Keefe was only 11 when she suddenly went missing. As per CBS News, she studied at the Lincoln Intermediate School in Corona Del Mar, California. Her father was a machinist, and her mother was a working seamstress. According to CBS News, Linda's sister, Cindy Borgeson, described her sister as a ''very gentle, lovely soul''.
2) Linda called her mother after school
According to CBS news, Linda did not bring her bike to school on the day she disappeared. So after school, she called her mother and asked her to pick her up. But her mother was caught up with work and asked her to walk home. Linda got upset after the call and started crying, but after a while, she decided to walk home.
3) Linda spoke to a man on her way home
According to CBS news, a couple of witnesses saw the 11-year-old girl speaking to a white man while walking back home. The man was reportedly sitting in a turquoise van. The witnesses later said they didn't think there was anything to worry about at the time. But Linda was never seen again.
4) Linda's body was discovered the next day
After Linda O'Keefe went missing on July 6, 1973, her panic-stricken mother complained to the police later that night, following which the authorities began the search. The next morning, an architect named Ron Yeo found the 11-year-old girl's body at the Back Bay in California. As per CBS News, Linda was sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
5) The killer was not found for decades
Linda O'Keefe's killer wasn't caught for decades. The case eventually went cold, but the authorities found a significant lead in late 2017 when the DNA of the killer matched the semen found on the victim's dead body. As per CBS News, police confirmed that the killer was a ''Caucasian male.''
The authorities also shared details about the discovery on a Twitter account that Newport Beach Police had started to catch the killer.
On February 19, 2019, according to CBS News, police arrested a man named James Neal, following which authorities phoned the victim's sister, Cindy Borgeson, who said:
''I was so excited. I felt, I wish my parents were here to hear this news.''
Don't miss the upcoming 48 Hours episode on CBS on Saturday, August 27, 2022.
