According to the Chicago Sun-Times, police in Minnesota arrested a suspect in Julie Hanson's case in June 2021. The man, Barry Lee Whelpley (pictured above), was extradited back to Illinois and his bail was set at $10 million. Whelpley, 76, was a neighbor of Hanson's at the time of her death. He was 27 years old when he allegedly raped and stabbed the 15-year-old Hanson. Although authorities did not reveal too much information about the evidence used to bring Whelpley in, Marshall did tell the media that it was thanks to "tremendous advancements" in the fields of "genealogy" and DNA testing.
Marshall was also very proud of his officers, contributing the justice they found for Julie and her family to their diligence, as well. He said they never considered the case to have gone "cold." They always had someone working on it. "We had Julie's picture on our desks in investigations for all these years," he said. For their part, Hanson's family released a statement in response to the news. "As you might assume, it has been a long journey for our family. We are forever grateful for all those who have worked on this case throughout the many years."
