Back on December 5, 1977, Sharon Schollmeyers, 16, was found dead in the bathtub of her apartment in Salt Lake, Utah, by her mother. The incident has been a Cold Case ever since, despite the fact that it turns out the man who let Sally Kadleck into her daughter’s apartment was actually her rapist and killer. Kadleck was concerned, as Sharon had not turned up for work that day. According to a statement by the Salt Lake City police, the building manager stayed in the living room of the apartment, while Kadleck searched for her daughter.

Finally DNA solved the case and Patrick McCabe has been taken into custody.

Kadleck spoke to the Deseret News on Thursday, saying she is amazed at the guts of the man who let her into the apartment. Patrick McCabe, 59, was the building manager for the apartment block and Kadleck said he knew what he had done, but still went ahead and let her into her daughter’s home. Sharon’s body was discovered in the bathtub the day after McCabe raped and killed the teenager.

McCabe confessed to the cold case crime

Fox News reports that McCabe told the police he had used his own key to enter Sharon’s apartment while she slept. He said he raped her at knifepoint, then took her to the bathroom where he strangled the girl, holding her head under water in the bathtub.

McCabe was arrested in Bell, Florida, where he is now living and is currently in a Florida jail, awaiting extradition to Utah. On Friday, he was charged with first degree murder and reportedly could face the death penalty if convicted of the crime.

DNA saved the day in the rape and murder case

Reportedly a halter top, which had been used to gag the teenager and was held in evidence, bore the murderer’s DNA and yielded a match in December 6, 2016. It turns out the FBI entered McCabe’s DNA into a database after he was convicted of a sexual offense against a minor back in 1999, finally tying him to the crime.

Kadleck told the Deseret News that she is relieved her daughter’s rapist and murderer has finally been arrested for the crime. It has been hard for her, trying to live her life not knowing who killed her daughter or why.
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