A gruesome child murder remains unsolved despite evidence that could identify the perpetrator.

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A true-crime podcast host and missing person advocate is asking Michigan's Attorney General to reopen the 1977 cold case of the then 10-year-old Valerie Bishop. Valerie was brutally assaulted, raped, and stabbed near a vacant home about a block from where she lived with her family on Detroit's west side.

Nina Innsted, the host of Already Gone Podcast, is campaigning for Attorney General Dana Nessel to take a fresh look at the case. Nina was able to confirm that blood-stained evidence collected during the initial investigation is still safely secured and viable for scientific testing. Something unavailable in 1977. Nina is also offering to cover the costs of those tests.

Detroit police did make an arrest in the days the followed. A 30-year-old man. The suspect was described as an unemployed student studying at Wayne State University. He just so happened to live in a duplex directly behind where Valerie's small body was left in the snow.

Police located bloodstained blue pants during the search of the suspect's home. A witness also described seeing a black man wearing blue pants in the same alley Valerie was murdered, around the time the crime was committed.

Testing in 1977 was limited. Tests did show that the blood on the suspect's pants was the same as Valerie's, O+. It is the same blood type shared by the suspect. Testing could either confirm or rule out the suspect's involvement.

A preliminary hearing was held at the time, but the judge released the suspect citing a lack of evidence. The judge dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning if police found more evidence the suspect could again be charged.


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