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Cold Case: Linda Rousseau

By Caroline Lowe, WCCO-TV

ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- Nineteen-year-old Linda Rousseau left her family's home in the Midway neighborhood to buy some fast food in May 1971. She never returned. About three months later, her remains were found in a shallow grave in Hidden Falls Park, just off Mississippi River Boulevard.

St. Paul homicide investigators recently agreed to take a fresh look at the unsolved murder after the victim's siblings contacted WCCO-TV. Terry Rousseau and his sister Judy DuPaul hope CSI-type forensics might finally give them justice for Linda.

Judy and her brother poured through the police investigative records a few years ago and created their own list of evidence and possible suspects.

Anyone with information on Linda Rousseau's murder should call the St. Paul police homicide office at (651) 291-1111.

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St. Paul Police Reopen 1971 Cold Case

Nineteen-year-old Linda Rousseau left her family's home in the Midway neighborhood to buy some fast food in May 1971. She never returned. About three months later, her remains were found in a shallow grave in Hidden Falls Park, just off Mississippi River Boulevard.

St. Paul homicide investigators recently agreed to take a fresh look at the unsolved murder after the victim's siblings contacted WCCO-TV. Terry Rousseau and his sister Judy DuPaul hope CSI-type forensics might finally give them justice for Linda. They remember their mother screaming after getting a phone call from police that Linda's remains had been identified.

The murder was in the news for a few months and then the case turned cold.

"It really affects us 35 years later," said Judy, who added she also remembers Linda mentioned a couple of "bad people" she was concerned about at the time.

Judy and her brother poured through the police investigative records a few years ago and created their own list of evidence and possible suspects. Terry still visits the crime scene, hoping to find more evidence or even to run into a suspect.

"I follow the path in hopes that maybe somebody's conscience got to them and they left something there or they are there," he said.

Linda's family is grateful St. Paul police have re-opened the case. Commander Tim Lynch hopes new interviews and testing of evidence could break the case.

"It is complicated, there's a number of people who could be considered possible suspects and many of those people are still around," said Lynch. "They are always hard when they are cold for awhile but we are optimistic that we will be able to do something with it."

Terry remembers his sister as a talented artist with a big heart. He often visits Linda's grave where he promises her to never stop searching for justice.

"I want to see that person punished. He took a big, big chunk out of my life," he said.

Anyone with information on Linda Rousseau's murder should call the St. Paul police homicide office at (651) 291-1111.

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