Nearly 53 years after the brutal killing of 16-year-old Pamela Lynn Conyers in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, investigators have identified a second suspect connected to the horrific crime. On Monday, Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad and FBI Baltimore Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock announced that Donald Willard of Montgomery County has been identified through forensic evidence as the second perpetrator involved in Conyers’ 1970 murder and sexual assault.

Last year, authorities had named Forest Clyde Williams as the first suspect in the Glen Burnie High School student’s slaying. However, Williams died in 2018 at age 69 before facing charges. Tragically, Willard has also passed away, dying in 2010 at 74 years old. “If Willard was still alive today, he too would be charged for his role in Pamela Conyers’ death,” Chief Awad stated solemnly.

The case remained cold for decades until advanced investigative techniques, including forensic genetic genealogy, allowed detectives to finally identify the two suspects linked to the heinous crime. Conyers’ body was discovered in a wooded area alongside Maryland Route 177 after she attended her high school’s homecoming events the previous night.

Authorities believe Williams and Willard did not know each other prior to the murder and are still working to determine the circumstances that brought the two together to commit such a deplorable act against an innocent teenager. “Our investigative efforts continue to uncover the facts surrounding how these two men crossed paths to tragically take Pamela’s young life,” Awad vowed.

Police are urging anyone with information about the suspects or the case details to come forward by contacting the homicide unit or tip line. Though decades have passed, investigators remain resolute in their pursuit of justice for Pamela Conyers and her grieving family members.