Judge dismisses case against woman in 1989 Kansas killing

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a Kansas murder case against a woman who was arrested last year in the killing of a teenager nearly 30 years ago.

Wyandotte County prosecutors issued a statement Friday announcing the dismissal of the case against 48-year-old Carolyn Heckert of Smithville, Missouri. They didn't say why it was dismissed.

Heckert had been jailed since her arrest last October in connection with the 1989 stabbing death of 18-year-old Sarah DeLeon. DeLeon's body was found along railroad tracks near Interstate 435 in Kansas City, Kansas.

New DNA collection and testing technology led police to reopen the case in July 2014.

Heckert's attorney, John P. O'Connor, says she is elated that charge was dropped.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com