Minnesota man charged with 1972 killing of Naperville teen

A 76-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the 1972 murder of a Naperville teen.

On Friday, Naperville police officials announced the arrest of Barry Whelpley of Mounds View, Minnesota, on three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of 15-year-old Julie Ann Hanson.

“This horrific crime has haunted this family, this community and this department for 49 years,” Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall said in a news release.

Marshall said the investigation and charges were “truly a team effort that spanned decades.”

“I could not be more proud of the determination and resourcefulness of our investigators, both past and present, who never gave up on Julie,” Marshall said.

Hanson was reported missing on July 8, 1972, police said. Her body was discovered later that same day in a field in Naperville near 87th Street and Modaff Road.

“She had been stabbed multiple times,” police said.

No suspect was immediately identified but Naperville police detectives continued to investigate Hanson’s death over the last 49 years, police said.

“The breakthrough in this case came through technological advancements in DNA and genetic genealogy analysis,” police said.

Police said Whelpley is a former Naperville resident and he lived “within a mile of the Hanson residence.”

Whelpley has not yet been taken to the Will County jail. He remains in Minnesota and is awaiting extradition to Illinois.

On June 2, Judge Dave Carlson signed the warrant for Whelpley’s arrest. The warrant carries a $10 million bond.