FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: December 18, 2007   Point of Contact: Chief Deputy John Clark United States Marshals Service 207-780-3355   Suspect in 1979 Murder Arrested in Kingfield, Maine   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.