Likely Serial Killer Identified In 1976 Murder Of Pamela Maurer

LISLE, IL — It's been exactly 44 years since 16-year-old Pamela Maurer was found sexually assaulted and murdered near the intersection of College Road and Maple Avenue in Lisle. Decades later, authorities have finally identified her killer — a man they believe was a likely serial killer responsible for other deaths between 1974 and 1981.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin announced Monday that police used investigative genetic genealogy to identify the murderer as Bruce Lindahl of Aurora. He died in 1981.

Berlin said this marks the first case in Illinois in which investigative genetic genealogy was used to solve a murder. The first major case solved in a similar way was that of the Golden State Killer. In 2018, Joseph James DeAngelo was charged in a series of killings that terrorized California between 1974 and 1986.

Disappearance and Murder of Pamela Maurer

Maurer, of Woodridge, was reported missing on Jan. 12, 1976, after leaving a friend's house. Her body was later found on the side of the road by a passing driver, who initially spotted her purse.

Maurer's body had been left outside a guard rail, making it appear as if she had been hit by a car. The DuPage County coroner later determined that Maurer had died of strangulation. Police also found a 3-foot length of rubber hose not far from Maurer's body, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Maurer's case was reopened in 1993 after police received new information, but no new charges were filed in the aftermath.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Maurer was among six women who were found slain between 1972 and 1976. After Maurer was killed, former Lisle Police Chief M.J. Wurth said repeatedly that he thought the case would eventually be solved.

How Police Identified Lindahl as the Killer

Berlin said that in 2001, biological evidence from Maurer's body was analyzed and the DNA was added to the county's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) system, but no matches ever came up. In 2019, experts used DNA phenotyping to determine characteristics such as the suspect's facial traits, eye color and appearance, and create a composite image of Maurer's killer. A public genealogy database was used to build a family tree to help identify potential new leads in the case.

The information led police to Bruce Lindahl of Aurora, who died in 1981. Lindahl's body was exhumed Nov. 6, 2019, in an attempt to get DNA to compare with the evidence collected from Maurer's body.

Lindahl's DNA came up as a match for the DNA found on Maurer's body, authorities said.

As a result of the discovery, police believe they can now link Lindahl to other victims. "We have evidence that there may be other young women who were victimized by Bruce Lindahl between 1974 and his death in 1981," Berlin said.

Charles Huber Killer and Lindahl's Death

Berlin said Lindahl was found dead in 1981 of accidentally self-inflicted wounds after he cut his femoral artery while fatally stabbing Naperville resident Charles Huber Jr., 18, who was a senior at Waubonsie Valley High School.

Lindahl's body was found next to Huber's, and police determined that he died after accidentally wounding himself.

Murder of Debra Colliander

Berlin said Lindahl's DNA may also be used to solve the murder of Debra Colliander, an Aurora woman who had accused Lindahl of kidnapping and raping her. She disappeared just before she was to testify against him.

Colliander, a Wisconsin native, was last seen leaving her job at Aurora's Rush-Copley Hospital on Oct. 7, 1980. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave in Oswego Township on April 30, 1982, Berlin said.

Disappearance of Deborah McCall

According to Berlin, Lindahl may also be tied to the disappearance of Deborah McCall, 16, a Downers Grove North High School student who was last seen leaving school in November 1979. Berlin said photographs of McCall were found in Lindahl's home after his death.

He added that police are investigating more photographs of young women that were found inside Lindahl's home after his death.

Ongoing Investigations

Police are investigating other disappearances and killings that may be linked to Lindahl when he lived in Downers Grove, Lisle and Woodridge, Lisle Police Department Detective Chris Loudon said. Loudon added that he believes Lindahl was a serial killer

According to archived police records, Loudon said, Lindahl's police record shows rape charges but no convictions. "We're aware of a couple other police reports," Loudon added.

Of the news that Maurer's killer had been identified, Loudon said, "I was glad for Pam. I was glad for Pam's family. I was glad for every victim of Bruce Lindahl's."

Anyone with information about Bruce Lindahl or who may have been a victim is urged to call the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office at 630-407-8107 or call Lisle Police Department at 630-271-4252.

Watch the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office press conference on the Pamela Maurer case: