Benicia Police Department said it reopened the case in July and was able to connect the remains to Dolores Wulff through DNA obtained from one of her children.
Enter Article DATE HERE
After finding a torso that washed ashore in 1979 they now know it belongs to a missing woman whose husband faced trial for her murder until the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.
The Benicia Police Department said Thursday it reopened the case in July and was able to connect the remains to Dolores Wulff through DNA obtained from one of her children.
Detective Sgt. Kenneth Hartsearch conducted a search of missing women in 1979 from the areas of Sacramento to San Francisco, police said. He came up with 11 possibilities, but one stood out: Dolores Wulff.
Wulff was a 45-year-old secretary and living in Woodland when she vanished in the middle of the night in July 1979, leaving behind four kids and friends who over the years worked to find answers, police said.
The torso turned up that September but was never identified.
Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez said.the case has haunted his office for decades.
"It is my hope that this provides some closure to the family who has suffered so much," he said Thursday.
Days after the disappearance Wulff's husband, Carl Wulff Sr., a prominent insurance executive and board member of the Woodland Chamber of Commerce, became the prime suspect, the Spokesman Review reported in 2007.
Eventually he was indicted for her murder in 1985.
But the charges were dismissed after his prominent San Francisco defense attorney produced two witnesses who said they had seen Dolores Wulff after her disappearance, claims that could not be verified, according to the paper.
Carl Wulff died in 2005.
The discovery of his mother's reamains brought relief to son Tom Wulff, KOVR-TV reported.
"It's awful nice because just recently I was convinced I was going to go to my grave without knowing one way or the other," he told the station.
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
Keith Schembri's "missing" mobile was still in sealed evidence bag after clerical error, expert testifies 11/20/23 A court expert, appointed to look for exhibits that Keith Schembri's lawyers had clai...
Salary: $45,799 - $48,588 Annually Job Requirements: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONSBachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, Video/Mass Commun...
Salary: $110,109.96 - $133,839.36 Annually Job Requirements: Minimum Qualifications License Required: Possession of a valid California Motor Vehicle License. Out of State valid Motor Vehicle Operator'...