Police have reopened a 40-year-old cold case involving a murdered child on a former US Army installation.
According to the Monterey Herald, police are reexamining the case of Anne Sang Thi Pham, a 5-year-old girl who disappeared while walking to school 40 years ago.
On 21 January, 1982, Anne reportedly insisted to her mother that she wanted to walk to her kindergarten class by herself. The little girl was one of 10, and was known to be shy and sensitive. Her family were Vietnamese refugees who fled the country during the 1975 invasion. They moved to the US and settled in California, where Anne's father became a herring fisherman, and she became a student.
Anne's family lived a few blocks away from her kindergarten programme at Highland School, so she walked there alone that day.
Two days later, Anne's body was found dumped in the foliage at Fort Ord, a nearby US Army post that closed in 1994. According to investigators Anne had been assaulted and strangled to death.
Several police agencies have attempted to solve the murder, including the US Army Criminal Investigations Division, but to no avail. The killer was never identified.
However, 40 years later, the Seaside Police claim a new lead has surfaced.
The Seaside Police and the Monterey County District Attorney's Office Cold Case Task Force are working together on the re-opened case, according to Chief Nicholas Borges.
“This is one of the most disturbing cold cases we’ve had,” he said. “Going through all our files, it’s clear there is a monster involved.”
According to the Monterey Herald, the the county's cold case task force was awarded a $500,000 grant to investigate unsolved cases, including Anne's.
Mr Borges said there is "a lot of evidence" but that he would not get into the specifics pending the ongoing investigation.
“I am hopeful we can bring justice for that beautiful little angel,” the chief said.
Deputy District Attorney Matthew L'Heureux, who leads the task force, similarly was unable to comment on specifics, but did note that “DNA is something we look for in any case”.
Anne's parents have passed away in the 40 years since her death. However, police have updated her siblings on the latest developments in the case.
“We have quite a bit of evidence that existed from the onset of the case,” Mr Borges said. “I want to solve every cold case we have. There is nothing more rewarding than giving the family a sense of justice by being able to tell them, ‘Here is the person who killed your loved one.’”
