An end could be near in 40-year Evansville murder investigation

Ann Kline was attacked and killed 40 years ago.

Decades after their investigation began, Evansville police think they may soon be able to close a murder case that's gone unsolved for 40 years.

Police believe they may be able to close the books of the unsolved murder of Ann Kline.

The old courthouse is where 26-year-old Ann Kline's body was found with multiple stab wounds back in 1973.

Police have had a suspect for years, and now they think that person may finally be held responsible.

"It's one of these cases that when I talk about cold cases, people always ask me about the Ann Kline case," Detective Tony Mayhew said.

It was 40 years ago that the young teacher was found stabbed to death outside the Old Courthouse.

Det. Mayhew, a 13-year veteran detective with the Evansville Police Department thinks there are several reasons so many haven't forgotten.

"I think it's because the fact that it was a college professor, a teacher. I think the fact that she had a number of students. I think the fact that it happened in broad daylight in a downtown area a very busy area," Det. Mayhew said.

Eight years ago, Det. Mayhew got a phone tip that lead to a couple of trips to Texas, even an interview with the suspect who he says lives there.

"The suspect was at the courthouse the day it happened, and was supposed to meet with Ann Kline that day. From the thousands of interviews I've done over the years, I'm very positive this person did this. 100%," Det. Mayhew said.

Det. Mayhew hopes to turn the case over to the prosecutor's office within the next few months.

From there, the goal is to get a grand jury indictment and a trial. Something he says Ann Kline's younger sister, who lives in Pennsylvania, wants to attend.

"I think she's had her hopes up for a long time. She's hoping that this is going to be actually it where we can actually file the case," Det. Mayhew said.

People like Kline's sister, her parents, and the families left behind, they're the reason he says he's invested so much time in solving the case.

"Just knowing someone's working on the case and someone cares, that's trying, gives them some hope there's some light at the end of the tunnel there," Det. Mayhew.

Det. Mayhew says he just received an email from Ann Kline's sister on Tuesday. He says she's told him in the past she hoped that they'd have some answers before their parents died.

Mayhew says as far as he knows, they are still alive.

An end could be near in 40-year Evansville murder investigation

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