New DNA Test Cracks Three-Decade-Old Cold-Case Slaying, Authorities Say

Forensic genetic genealogy helped solve the 1993 cold-case slaying of a Missouri woman who was bludgeoned to death and dumped in an Illinois field, authorities announced Tuesday.

Albert Lee Zigler, 70, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Randy Gail Sperino, whose body was discovered in a field in Granite City, Illinois, in November 1993. Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor and Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine announced the break in the case during a news conference while crediting a $10,000 lab test of family DNA.

“He was never on the radar,” Connor told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He never was looked at.”

Zigler, who lived in the area at the time, worked in airport maintenance and had no criminal convictions, police said.

Investigators had collected the suspect’s DNA from the crime scene, but a federal law enforcement database never returned a hit. That changed following a recent genealogical check, authorities said.

Sperino, of Charleston, Missouri, had been last seen alive while walking in Granite City before getting into a late-1970s or early- 1980s dark-colored pickup truck, KMOV reported. She was visiting her father at the time, according to previous reports.

Zigler, of Caseyville, Illinois, was later identified as the suspect, although investigators did not specify the exact path that led to his arrest, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Sperino’s son, who lives in California, traveled to Illinois to attend Tuesday’s news conference, adding that he was stunned by the break in the case, the newspaper reported.

“I was just ecstatic,” Sperino said. “I had tears of joy.”

Sperino, who was just 15 years old when his mother died, said he had given up hope that her killer would ultimately be brought to justice, KMOV reported.

“I never thought that this day would come,” Sperino said. “I thought I might pass and never know, but that all changed thanks to these guys behind me and to my side.”

Haine, meanwhile, said Zigler’s arrest demonstrates that investigators never stopped searching for a break in the decades-old murder probe.

“This case demonstrates the extraordinary value of modern investigative tools such as forensic genealogical DNA,” Haine told Newsweek in a statement. “Advances in technology and science are creating opportunities to solve cases that, years ago, might never have been solved. But technology and science alone do not solve crimes or bring convictions. These tools are only effective because of the dedication, persistence, and professionalism of investigators who are willing to revisit evidence, follow leads, knock on doors, conduct interviews and continue pursuing the truth, no matter how much time has passed.”

Zigler, who was charged on Friday, remains in custody ahead of a detention hearing set for Wednesday. A public defender has been appointed to represent him, the Alton Telegraph reported.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 1:09 PM.