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Cedar Rapids Police Chief Shares Details On Martinko Cold Case

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The arrest of a suspect in a 39-year-old murder case has police reminding fugitives that unsolved investigations are almost always ongoing. The Cedar Rapids Police have a man in custody accused of the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko.

Chief Wayne Jerman says just because a case goes cold doesn’t mean it will remain that way.

“Police, law enforcement throughout the country are not going to stop,” he says. “Technology continues to evolve and we’re going to use it to our advantage in the pursuit of justice.”

Jerry Lynn Burns, a 64-year-old from Manchester, has been arrested and charged with the murder of Martinko. Investigators matched his DNA with samples taken from the crime scene at the time.

In this edition of River to River, Ben Kieffer talks with Jerman. Other interviews during the hour include a conversation with Des Moines Register reporter Tony Leys, Superintendent Joel Foster of the Clarksville and North Butler school districts, and communications director for the Iowa Attorney General, Lynn Hicks.

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Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Amy Mayer is a reporter based in Ames