Suspect identified in 1976 cold case death of 25-year-old California woman

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) — Investigators recently identified a suspect in the cold case death of a 25-year-old woman whose body was found five decades ago.

According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, on May 28, 1976, deputies responded to an area near Aptos Village Park, where they found Karen Percifield deceased. Authorities determined she was the victim of a homicide, and they collected forensic evidence. Detectives were unable to identify any suspects at the time, and the case went cold.

In 2019, investigators found additional evidence to be tested, and they developed a male DNA profile but couldn’t find a match in the DNA database.

Several years later, in 2023, the sheriff’s office submitted forensic evidence to genetic genealogy company Othram Labs to build a comprehensive DNA profile, and investigators developed new leads. As a result, the sheriff’s office said in an April 3 news release that authorities identified Richard Sommerhalder as the primary suspect.

Sommerhalder was reportedly a person of interest early on in the case, but there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to pursue charges. Months after Percifield’s death, in September 1976, officials arrested Sommerhalder on suspicion of killing two people in Santa Cruz County. He served 8 1/2 years in prison, was paroled, and moved out of California. As the investigation continued and detectives tried to collect a reference DNA sample, they learned Sommerhalder had died in 1994.

In a statement, Sheriff Chris Clark said, “No matter how much time has passed, we will never stop seeking the truth. Advances in DNA technology continue to provide new opportunities to deliver justice and closure to victims and their families. This case is a powerful example of how those advancements can give us the answers we’ve been searching for.”

The victim’s daughter reportedly stated, “To the detectives, and forensic team, I appreciate them not giving up. This has been weighing on me my whole life, not having a memory of my mom and just wondering who it could have been, this just means so much. I’m just so grateful you didn’t give up.”

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