Law enforcement managed to solve the 43-year-old murder of a Long Island teenager in San Francisco. The suspect would be linked to other cases of sexual assault and murder, according to the investigation.
Marissa Rolf Harvey, 15, was visiting her sister in the Californian city when she was murdered by Mark Stanley Personette, now 76, of Conifer, Colorado. The man was arrested Thursday and charged in the death of the teenager, whose body was found in Sutro Heights Park on March 28, 1978.
The investigation indicates that Personette would be involved in other unsolved homicides.
The investigation had lain dormant for decades until October 2020, when the San Francisco Police Department’s unsolved cases unit re-examined the murder. The department said it had relied on “advanced investigative methods” but did not release further details.
San Francisco Police shared some details about Personette, who lived 1,200 miles from The City by the Bay. Online records show that he is also accused of being a fugitive from justice.
“For more than four decades, members of Marissa Harvey’s family have been tireless advocates in bringing her killer to justice,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, “We hope this development in the case will begin. to bring a measure of healing and closure that the family was denied for too long. “
Months before the tragic death, Marissa, an adopted daughter, learned that she had a biological sister in California.
Marissa reportedly begged her adoptive parents in Port Washington, Long Island, to allow her to travel to San Francisco during her Easter vacation for a weekend visit. The family finally relented in March and agreed that the minor would fly alone.
Among the activities Marissa wanted to do was horseback riding at the stables in Golden Gate Park, where her sister’s friend left her unaware that the stables were closed.
When Marissa did not return, her sister reported her missing. A day later, just before sunset, a man saw a pair of tiny feet sticking out of a bush in the park. Authorities determined that Marissa had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
For decades, the quinceañera’s case was stalled, until recently, all thanks to forensic scientists and “other unnamed heroes” who helped solve the case, the police chief said.
Investigators detailed that the department shared Personette’s records with other departments to determine if she is linked to other unsolved murders. The defendant had been arrested multiple times, including in New Jersey.
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