FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: |
December 18, 2007
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Point of Contact: Chief Deputy John
Clark
United States Marshals Service
207-780-3355 |
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Suspect in 1979 Murder Arrested in
Kingfield, Maine |
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Portland, Maine – December 18,
2007 – David Bruce Bowen, age 44, was arrested at a bed and
breakfast in Kingfield, Maine earlier today by members of the
Southern Maine Violent Crime Task Force (SMVCTF) and Detectives from
the Lake County, Indiana Sheriff’s Department.
Bowen was wanted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department in
connection with the October 1979 brutal murder of eight-year-old
Kenneth “Butch” Conrick. According to Lake County authorities,
Conrick had disappeared from Gary, Indiana on the afternoon of
October 15, 1979 while walking home from school. Following an
exhaustive two week search by police agencies, family members,
friends and volunteers, the child’s body was found in a patch of
woods in an unincorporated area of Lake County.
Lake County authorities followed numerous leads over the years, but
were unable to confirm any suspects until recently, when a DNA match
linked Bowen to the crime.
During the summer of 2007, Lake County authorities contacted the
Portland Police Department and requested assistance in confirming
that Bowen was still residing in the Portland area. The case was
subsequently referred to the Southern Maine Violent Crime Task Force
for investigative follow-up. For the past six months, Task Force
members have worked closely with Lake County authorities to keep
tabs on Bowen until a criminal case could be filed in Indiana.
Yesterday afternoon, an arrest warrant was issued in Lake County,
charging Bowen with the murder of Kenny Conrick, more than 28 years
after his disappearance. Task Force members tracked Bowen down to
the Kingfield area where he was working as a member of a painting
crew. Bowen was arrested without incident at approximately 11:30
this morning and subsequently booked at the Franklin County Jail as
a fugitive from justice, pending extradition to Indiana.
The Southern Maine Violent Crime Task Force, based in Portland, is
comprised of members from the Biddeford Police Department, the
Portland Police Department, the Scarborough Police Department, the
South Portland Police Department, the Westbrook Police Department,
the Cumberland and York County Sheriff’s Departments and the United
States Marshals Service.
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