Baltimore County, MD – Nearly three decades after the crime, Baltimore County homicide detectives have charged a 68-year-old man in the 1994 murder of his estranged wife, authorities announced Thursday.
According to the Baltimore County Police Department, Donald Lester has been charged with killing 31-year-old Linda Lester, a police 911 dispatcher who disappeared on October 11, 1994. She was last seen leaving work and heading to pick up her 2-year-old child from Donald’s home. At the time, the couple was divorcing and living separately.
Linda’s sister reported her missing the following day. Her body was later discovered off I-70, west of Baltimore. Detectives interviewed Donald Lester shortly after the disappearance, but it was forensic evidence collected from the victim that ultimately allowed investigators to file charges.
Donald Lester is currently being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center.
Police credited advances in forensic technology for the breakthrough, with assistance from DNA Labs International, a private forensic DNA laboratory with over 20 years of experience. The Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division also played a role in the investigation.
Authorities say this development provides long-awaited progress in a case that has remained unsolved for nearly 31 years.
