A cigarette butt discarded by a suspect has led to the arrest in a Seattle-area murder that had remained unsolved for over four decades. Kenneth Kundert, 65, was recently charged with the murder of Dorothy Silzel, who was found dead in her Kent, Washington, condominium in February 1980.

Silzel, 30, disappeared after leaving her workplace on February 23, 1980. A few days later, her friends and family contacted authorities out of concern, leading to the discovery of her body. Investigators determined she had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Although DNA evidence was collected at the time, technology was not yet advanced enough to identify a suspect.

Decades later, in March 2022, Kent Police decided to revisit the case using advancements in forensic genetic genealogy. After reviewing the DNA evidence, investigators managed to narrow down a list of potential suspects, eventually focusing on Kundert. Records indicated that Kundert had lived in the Seattle area around the time of the crime, and he had a family connection near Silzel’s residence.

However, obtaining Kundert’s DNA was challenging—he refused to cooperate when authorities tried to collect a sample, even going as far as hiding his cigarette and drink bottle. Undeterred, police conducted surveillance on Kundert in Arkansas and managed to collect a cigarette butt he discarded. When the DNA from that cigarette matched the DNA left at the crime scene, it gave authorities the evidence they needed to move forward.

Thanks to the discarded cigarette, a decades-long mystery has finally moved closer to justice, providing hope for closure to the family and friends of Dorothy Silzel.