Arrest made in cold case 40 years after teen girl's murder in Montgomery County, authorities say

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of a teenage girl, a case that has haunted investigators for decades.

Bobby Charles Taylor, 65, is in custody at the Montgomery County Jail, charged with capital murder in the death of 16-year-old Deanna Ogg, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

This is not the first arrest tied to the case. In 1990, Roy Criner was convicted of sexual assault and spent 10 years in prison before DNA evidence cleared him in 2000.

Investigators now say advances in DNA technology led them to Taylor, and they believe they finally have the right man.

In September 1986, Ogg, a student at New Caney High School, left her home near Porter and walked about two miles to a convenience store at FM 1314 and Sorters Road, according to the sheriff's office. It was the last place she was seen alive.

Just two hours later, children discovered her body in a wooded area about seven miles away, off Old Houston Road. Authorities say she had been sexually assaulted, beaten, and stabbed. DNA evidence was collected at the scene.

The investigation initially focused on Criner after statements he made to friends. While there was not enough evidence for murder, a judge said, he was convicted of sexual assault in 1990. A decade later, DNA testing proved he was not responsible, and he was exonerated.

Ogg's case remained unsolved for decades, listed among the sheriff's office's cold cases.

Monday, the sheriff's office announced Taylor's arrest and said it was based on advances in DNA technology. He has prior convictions for burglary, DWI, and assault, according to online records. Taylor was four days shy of his 21st birthday when Deanna was murdered.

The sheriff's office says more details in the case will be released during a scheduled news conference on Wednesday.

A relative of Ogg described the suspect as a "monster" and said the arrest brings a sense of peace to the victim's family. Deanna's mother, now 82, is expected to attend the news conference and plans to focus her remarks on her daughter's life rather than the man accused of killing her, says the relative.