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DNA Links 64-Year-Old to 1991 Murder, Sister Arrested

4/29/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Office arrested 64-year-old James Lawhead Jr. in Arizona for Cindy Wanner’s 1991 murder after she vanished from her California home on Nov. 25, 1991.
Lawhead, released in 1991 after 11 years of a 19-year child-sex sentence, was linked to the crime by DNA testing in Arizona.
Authorities will extradite Lawhead after Arizona booking, after arresting his 71-year-old sister Terry Steele in South Carolina and serving a warrant at her San Clemente home.

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Story summary

Office arrested 64-year-old James Lawhead Jr. in Arizona for Cindy Wanner’s 1991 murder after she vanished from her California home on Nov. 25, 1991.
Lawhead, released in 1991 after 11 years of a 19-year child-sex sentence, was linked to the crime by DNA testing in Arizona.
Authorities will extradite Lawhead after Arizona booking, after arresting his 71-year-old sister Terry Steele in South Carolina and serving a warrant at her San Clemente home.