Man charged for rape and murder of woman 30 years after he reported finding her body in a desert

A 55 year-old-man has been charged with rape and murder of a woman whose dead body he had reported finding in the desert near Phoenix, Arizona 30 years ago.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested Donald Lee Scott on Friday (2 February) after his DNA matched the victim Anne Marie Levee who was killed in December 1988.

According to court documents, in 1988, Scott, who had been arrested numerous times for crimes against women, had called the Sheriff's office to report about a dead body he had found while he and his friend were driving in the Arizona desert southwest of Carefree Highway and 99th Avenue.

He led detectives to the body where they found that the victim had been shot multiple times. After being questioned, Scott and his friend were released from the scene, CBS News reported.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and the woman's identity was revealed but it was also found that she was sexually assaulted.

Evidence of recent trauma on her legs and genital area and semen in her vagina were found, but police were unable to match the DNA to a suspect, the news station reported.

In 2003, the case was re-examined and the semen was sent for additional DNA testing. According to court documents, the samples were entered into the combined DNA index system.

But finally in 2016, the Arizona Department of Public Safety laboratory matched the DNA to Scott.
In the meantime, Scott was convicted of aggravated harassment in 2014 and was serving time in an Arizona prison.

Detectives found that Scott had an "extensive" history of arrests for weapons, assault, stalking, attempted sexual assault, and harassment.

According to the station, the DNA match was confirmed in January 2018.

Scott has been held in the 4th Avenue Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and sexual assault in lieu of $1 million bond, the news station reported.