In July 1973, Linda O’Keefe disappeared on her walk home from summer school. She never made it home that evening.
The 11-year-old from California had last been seen talking to a stranger in a van. The next morning, a bicyclist spotted a small human hand sticking out from the brush. Authorities uncovered Linda’s lifeless body, still clothed in the dress her mother had made for her.
The police department spent decades trying to find Linda’s killer, but the trail went cold. Determined to crack the case, they kept her picture hanging in the detective division where it could be seen every day.
In 2018, on the 45th anniversary of the day Linda went missing, the Newport Beach Police Department suspended its normal Twitter activity to launch a very unique campaign.
In an effort to give Linda a voice of her own, the department began tweeting from her point-of-view, beginning on the day she was kidnapped and ending with a description of her last day on earth and brutal slaying. “Hi, I’m Linda O’Keefe. Forty-five years ago today, I disappeared from Newport Beach. I was murdered and my body was found in the Back Bay. My killer was never found. Today, I’m going to tell you my story.”
Not only did the series of tweets go viral, but they also included vital information about a new lead based on DNA evidence.
Just recently, detectives got the big break they’d been hoping and praying for.
46 years after Linda’s tragic and untimely death, an arrest has finally been made.
Source : https://www.littlethings.com/linda-okeefe-cold-case-solved/