MORROW COUNTY, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—In a significant development regarding a decades-old cold case, the Morrow County Grand Jury returned an indictment for one count of murder against Dana Slane in connection with the killing of Catherine Conley. Conley was reported missing on June 1, 1979, and her body was subsequently discovered on June 15, 1979.
The investigation into Conley’s disappearance initially involved law enforcement agencies from Morrow and Marion County. However, the case remained unsolved for many years until recently, when Detective Brandon Newsome of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office reopened the investigation. Detective Newsome developed a theory linking Slane to the crime after uncovering a prison letter sent by Slane to a friend. In this letter, Slane acknowledged the murder and claimed that law enforcement was aware of his involvement but lacked sufficient evidence for prosecution.
Further testimony revealed that the letter’s recipient had personal interactions with Slane, during which the defendant allegedly confided about the murder.
Tragically, Dana Slane passed away in 2019, leading the court to dismiss the case. The Morrow County Prosecutor’s Office and the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office expressed hopes that the indictment, albeit posthumous, will bring a measure of closure to the family of Catherine Conley, who has long sought justice.
Marion County Now received the following statement from Naomi Craig; daughter of murder victim Catherine Conley:
“While I am grateful for the hard work of Morrow County Detective Brandon Newsome, there is much more to this story than was released in this statement. I will discuss it at a later time.
I hope the closure of a case, that is nearly half a century old, helps shed some light on the plight of “cold case” families and the hopelessness they can feel for generations.”—Naomi Craig