Advances in sciences, specifically DNA testing abilities, led Carbon County officials to solve a nearly 45-year-old murder case that culminated with the arrest of a Bronx, New York, man for a death that took place in 1976.

In April state police at the Fern Ridge barracks announced the arrest of Luis A. Sierra, 63, on charges of criminal homicide.

The arrest also resulted in the identity of “Beth Doe” finally being confirmed as Evelyn Colon, who was then 15, of Jersey City, New Jersey.

The cold case murder and its ending some four and a half decades later brought to light the continued tireless effort and investigations of police officials.

The mystery actually started on Dec. 20, 1976, when the Pennsylvania State Police were contacted to investigate human remains found on the riverbank of the Lehigh River in East Side Borough, Carbon County. The investigation revealed two separate sets of human remains, one being a female and the other being a near full-term fetus. The young female was referred to as Beth Doe.

Police said numerous interviews and investigations were conducted following her identification, which led to the development of a suspect, and DNA samples played a significant role in solving the case.

Parts of the victim’s her body and her fetus were packed into several suitcases and tossed from an Interstate 80 bridge. They landed 300 feet below at the edge of the river, where some broke open.

Her body was discovered at about 4:30 p.m. on a cold, rainy December day.

Weatherly High School freshman Kenneth Jumper Jr., who was 14 at the time, was walking along the river where he used to do some trapping when he saw a human head next to a piece of luggage.

He had just been there a week earlier and the suitcase wasn’t there. He raced home and told his big brother, Richard, who was 19 at the time. They called the state police.

The coroner at the time, the late Robert G. Deibert, had the body transported to the Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital in Lehighton, where an autopsy was performed.

Their bodies were preserved in Philadelphia’s city morgue.

On Aug. 18, 1983, nearly seven years after being found, Beth Doe’s body and fetus were buried together in Carbon County Potter’s Field, off Laurytown Road near Weatherly. The Rev. John A. Naegele of Lansford conducted the ceremony.

The two graves are marked by white crosses.

In 2007, her remains were exhumed to obtain forensic evidence and to create a new facial reconstruction.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released two reconstructions, the latest in May 2015.

Then in April, police were finally able to take Sierra, 63, who was 19 in 1976, into custody in New York, followed by his extradition here.

In a posted statement, the victim’s family said, “After 45 years of desperate searching, our beloved Evelyn and her baby girl have been found through her nephew’s DNA match. The hopes of one day reuniting with her were long etched in our hearts. She was taken from a family who loved her and a family longing to meet her and her child for the first time.”

It continued, “A special thank you to all of the people in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. You have loved Evelyn as much as we do for all 45 years. Thank you to the Pennsylvania State Troopers for their continued tireless effort and investigations.”