Hayward police say DNA led them to killer in 1991 murder of homeless woman

HAYWARD, Calif. Hayward police say D-N-A evidence collected from a crime scene more than 15 years ago has helped them crack an unsolved murder of a homeless woman.

Twenty-four-year-old Christie Lee Mefford was found beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled in the parking lot of a homeless shelter in October of 1991.

Her killer fled the scene when the shelter manager and a client came out to investigate noises they heard.

After seeing a man pedal away on a bicycle, they spotted Mefford's body on the ground.

Investigators arrested 45-year-old Duane Smith after his D-N-A matched evidence collected from the crime scene.

Smith is currently serving a five-year sentence in Avenal State Prison for a sex crime in another case.

He's now facing murder charges in Mefford's death.

Smith was scheduled to be released from prison in July.