Nearly 50 years after a Windsor girl was lured away from her home and killed, Windsor police have solved the crime.
On May 14, 1971, 6-year-old Lujbica Topic was playing outside with her 8-year-old brother on Drouillard Rd. when a man offered her money to come with him and offered the brother money to ride his bike in the other direction.
Her brother last saw his sister walking southbound on Drouillard Rd. holding the man's hand.
Four hours later, the body of the little girl was found on Hickory Ave.
She had been sexually assaulted and killed.
During a news conference at Windsor police headquarters, Windsor police announced a DNA hit from the evidence gathered at the scene came back with a match.
The man responsible has been identified and recently passed away from natural causes. As a result, no charges will ever be laid and the man's identity will not be released.
Ljubica Topic, 6, was lured away from her home on May 14, 1971 (Courtesy of Windsor police)
"As of Monday, December 9th, 2019, that search is now over as we have identified the man responsible for the abduction, sexual assault and murder of Ljubica Topic," said Windsor Police Major Crimes Detective Scott Chapman.
Windsor police notified the Topic family who asked for privacy and expressed 'immense gratitude' to police for bringing a resolution to the case.
"This brings resolution to a family that deserved answers, it brings resolution to a community that has always wondered what happened to an innocent little girl on our streets," says Windsor Police Chief Pam Mizuno.
During the course of the investigation, there were 500 persons of interest.
"This man's DNA matched separate sources of DNA from the crime scene and based on the nature of the DNA and where it was located, we are certain that he is the person responsible. This man was a Windsor resident at the time living in the general neighbourhood where Ljubica was taken and murdered," said Detective Chapman.
The suspect was 22 years old at the time and spent time in Windsor and settled in western Canada.
Police say he was a stranger to the family.