Arrest Made In Patsy Sparks Murder, 26 Years After Killing

CALDWELL, OH — Police have made an arrest in the murder of Patsy Sparks, 26 years after she was killed. The 18-year-old from Marietta disappeared in 1992 and her remains were found in a wooded area of Noble County in 1994.

Randy Slider, a 48-year-old Washington County man, was indicted by a Noble County Grand Jury on Jan. 19. He has been charged with aggravated murder and one count of murder for the 1992 death of Sparks.

Sparks was last seen alive in Parkersburg, West Virginia on April 22, 1992. Police say Slider offered Sparks a ride to a bar in Marrieta on that day. The 18-year-old was supposed to see her grandmother after visiting the bar, NBC News reported. But she never showed up.

A missing person's report was filed. Witnesses were interviewed. One person said they saw Slider at the scene, offering to give Sparks a ride, but there was no physical evidence to tie Slider to the crime.

Sparks' body was missing until hunters found her dead in the woods, 40 miles from her home, nearly two years later.

Slider is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault, all unrelated to Sparks' disappearance. Slider previously lived in Marrieta.

The investigation into Sparks' death was led by the Washington County Sheriff's Office cold case squad. The unit re-opened the case in 2014, NBC News said. The Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted with the case.

The case will be prosecuted by the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

Photo from Ohio Attorney General's Office