The unsolved 1979 murder of teenager Michelle Martinko tormented a small Midwestern city, Cedar Rapids, Iowa for decades, until a relentless team of investigators finally found the clue to break the case wide open. Due to the advancement of DNA and genetics, on December 19, 2018, thirty-nine years after her murder, police finally identified her murderer: Jerry Lynn Burns, a 64-year-old male who was 25 years old when the tragedy happened. Burns was arrested and, on February 24, 2020, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Martinko. On August 7, 2020, Burns was sentenced to life in prison without parole.