More than thirty years after the killing of 24-year-old Samantha Mizzi, police have arrested and charged a man in connection with her death.

Authorities said the suspect, a 67-year-old man identified by local outlets as Colin George McKane, faces charges of murder and two counts of rape. He was taken into custody in Ararat on Thursday and is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court the same day.

Mizzi was assaulted on the night of March 29, 1994, in St Kilda, a bayside suburb of Melbourne. According to investigators, a passerby discovered her in the bushes behind a property on Brighton Road around 11 p.m. She was alive when found and transported to a hospital, but died the following morning.

At the time, the case drew public attention but remained unsolved for decades, frustrating detectives and leaving her family without answers. Police have not disclosed what specifically led to McKane’s arrest, but said the investigation remains active.

Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of the Homicide Squad described the arrest as evidence that time does not erase law enforcement’s commitment to solving violent crimes. “It doesn’t matter how many years have passed, detectives remain committed to holding those who are involved in violent crimes to account,” he said in a statement.

So far, police have yet to share specifics on how they zeroed in on McKane, but they admit that advances in DNA analysis and genetic genealogy played a major role in bringing Mizzi’s story out of the cold case files.

Thomas urged anyone with information about Mizzi’s death, or about other unsolved crimes, to contact authorities. “It’s never too late to come forward,” he said, adding that any tip, regardless of how insignificant it may seem initially can lead to a break for police.

The arrest brings renewed attention to a case that has long been part of the region’s unsolved crime history. For Mizzi’s family, it may mark the beginning of long-awaited closure, though the judicial process is only just beginning.

Police emphasized that the investigation will continue as they prepare for court proceedings. They are still working to piece together a complete account of what happened on the night Mizzi was attacked and the events leading up to it.

For the community and for Mizzi’s loved ones, this arrest brings them one step closer to some kind conclusion to this awful story.