Police in Pennsylvania have solved a nearly three-decade-old murder of a Lehigh Valley woman using new DNA technology and have made an arrest.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office announced on May 16 the arrest of Michael Breisch, 65. They charged him with burglary and the 1989 murder of 78-year-old Rose Hnath along the 2600 block of 2nd Street North Whitehall Township.
"Ultimately, the efforts taken to preserve the evidence were rewarded when investigative techniques unavailable in the 20th century helped lead us to the defendant, Michael Breisch, and allowed us to make this arrest in 2024," a spokesperson for the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
During a press conference announcing the arrest, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said DNA evidence was collected from the scene at the time of the murder and preserved throughout the years.
Family members became worried when Hnath did not show up to the church she regularly attends. They went to her house on Jan. 21, 1989, and found her body. The home was also ransacked.
A thorough investigation showed Hnath died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma. A knife and pellet gun were found at the scene of the crime, as well as across the street. Both weapons were maintained over the last 35 years, in such a condition that they may be used as evidence of the crime.
Holihan also said Hnath fought back against her attacker.
"It's clear from early on that she had defensive wounds which indicates that she put up a fight," in a statement.
Breisch was living in a community corrections facility in Allentown when he allegedly committed the burglary and murder.
Hnath’s home was burglarized prior to the murder, but Breisch is not believed to be a suspect in that burglary.
Breisch was arrested in Ohio, where he currently resides after spending several years following the murder living in Pennsylvania. Following his arrest, Breisch was extradited to Pennsylvania and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 21. He is currently being held in Lehigh County jail.
According to a report in The Morning Call, Breisch was charged in 1989 with escape and drug possession and served six months in jail. He was arrested for burglary in 1993 in Pike County. He was also charged with robbery, burglary, aggravated assault.