Finally some closure can be granted to a California family, who lost their young daughter many years ago in a horrific kidnapping, rape, and homicide case.
According to the Antioch Police Department, in the East Bay region of San Francisco, 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier, was not only kidnapped in 1980 where she went missing from her loved ones, but she was viciously raped, beaten, and then her body dumped.
The young girl has been missing for over five days before her body was finally located near the Joaquin River, under the Antioch Bridge, and investigators spent almost four decades trying to find out what happened to the girl, and who was responsible for her atrocious suffering that led to her death.
The cause of death was determined at the time to be from a single stab wound to the chest that penetrated her heart, according to<a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Antioch-Police-Arrest-Man-in-1980-Cold-Case-Murder-of-Teenage-Girl-463558333.html"> NBC Bay Area</a>, and evidence had also indicated she had been sexually assaulted, so samples were collected.
Her family was heartbroken, and said that they never quite got over the loss or the grieving for young Suzanne.
Back in 1980 when the crime happened, there wasn't the same DNA testing available that exists in modern times to identify a perpetrator, and the family said at some point they lost hope in ever finding justice for their daughter.
Despite this, in the year 2017, authorities were able to match the DNA left at the scene of the cold case to a brutal pedophile, who's had multiple arrests since the homicide for sexual assault among other charges.
Once authorities has a match for Sixty-three-year-old Mitchell Bacom, they immediately went to work to charge the sadistic criminal for the death of the girl who had waited over 37 years for justice to be served, but they knew they had their suspect, finally, and could bring him down for the horrific crimes.
Once they'd made the arrest, the Antioch Police Department made the following announcement:
<blockquote>”This evening at approximately 5:00 PM, the Antioch Police Department made an arrest for the June 1980 abduction, rape and killing of 14 year old Suzanne Bombardier. She was taken in the middle of the night from her sister’s home at 3421 Hudson Court in Antioch while babysitting. She was missing for approximately 5 days and eventually found deceased in the San Joaquin River near the Antioch Bridge. Her cause of death was determined to be one stab wound to the chest which penetrated her heart. Evidence at the time indicated she had been sexually assaulted.”</blockquote>
<blockquote>”Numerous suspects and persons of interest were developed and investigated over the years. Some were eliminated while others remained unresolved until recently. Through DNA testing, one of those suspects, 63 year old Mitchell Lynn Bacom of Antioch, has been determined to be responsible for these heinous crimes. He is currently being held on the charges of murder, kidnapping, rape and oral copulation.”</blockquote>
As previously stated Bacom has a long criminal history, and has served multiple sentences before and after the murder of Suzanne Bombardier.
Back in 1973, Bacom was arrested in Mountain View, California, for rape, robbery, assault with intent to commit murder, and oral copulation.
As a result of that investigation, he was convicted in 1974 of first and second degree burglary, assault with intent to murder and sodomy, and was sentenced to five years to life.
Then later in February of 1981, Bacom was arrested yet again for robbery, and rape in Isleton, California.
As a result of that case, he was convicted of first degree burglary, robbery, rape and sodomy. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Unsurprisingly as with most pedophiles and sexual predators, after that sentence he would commit even of the same types of crimes.
After his release in 2002, Bacom was convicted in Contra Costa County of failing to properly register as a sex offender and sentenced to 4 years in prison, and the conviction was the result of a Pittsburg PD investigation.
Over the years, the Antioch Police Department and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office have monitored developments in DNA testing in the hopes that advancements would be made allowing this evidence to be processed and a DNA profile developed.
Then in 2015, the decision was made to submit the biological evidence to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Laboratory in an effort to develop a DNA profile.
The lab was equipped to conduct some of the most advanced available DNA testing. In early 2017, the department was notified that a CODIS hit was made tentatively identifying Mitchell Lynn Bacom as the perpetrator. Additional testing was required in order to confirm the identification.
The Antioch Police said that although they're ecstatic an arrest has been made in this case, it will not bring Suzanne back into her family’s lives.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Suzanne Bombardier’s family and we hope this mystery being solved offers some level of comfort for them.
The reality was that science had to make advances in order for a positive identification of the killer to be made. It was through patience, persistence, networking, modern investigative techniques and scientific advances that this case was solved.
This arrest closes the oldest, open cold case homicide on record with the Antioch Police Department.
The Antioch Police Department will be networking with other law enforcement agencies in an effort to determine if Mitchell Lynn Bacom has been involved in other murders and/or sexual assaults.
They are encouraging anyone with information regarding this case to contact the Antioch Police Department. Additionally, we are hoping to hear from any of Mitchell Lynn Bacom’s past victims, including those who may have never made reports to law enforcement.
Anyone wanting to provide information relative to Mitchell Lynn Bacom’s criminal conduct may contact Detective Leonard Orman at (925)779-6918.
Anyone requesting further information regarding this case may contact the Antioch Police Department’s Press Liaison, Lieutenant Tarra Mendes at (925) 779-6946 or by e-mail at [email protected].
—<i>[email protected]</i>
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