CULPEPER, Va. — Virginia State Police have arrested a 56-year-old man for a murder that happened nearly three decades ago, but the victim's baby daughter remains missing.
Daniel E. Pompell, of Culpeper, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of murder in the 1998 death of Sylena Jo Dalton, according to troopers.
Dalton was found stabbed to death on the couch of her Strasburg apartment on July 27, 1998. Her 10-week-old daughter, Allyson Kathleen Dalton, disappeared at the time of the murder and has never been found.
Pompell is Allyson's father. Troopers previously said he was not living with Dalton and the baby when the murder happened.
Investigators said they were grateful for the breakthrough in the 27-year-old cold case to bring "overdue closure to the family of Sylena Jo Dalton."
“We are thankful for all the hard work agents and analysts put into this case to make this arrest possible," Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations Culpeper Field Office Captain John Defilippi said.
If alive today, Allyson would be 27 years old. She was born with brown hair and blue eyes. Investigators released age-progression photos of her in 2017.
Investigators, who have long believed Allyson was taken by the person who killed her mother, said in 2017 yjay Pompell had cooperated with investigators over the years.
At the time, investigators said the case presented various challenges because of the "complexities of it involving both a homicide and an infant disappearing without a trace."
The Shenandoah County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will prosecute the case against Pompell.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the State Police toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or by dialing #77 on a cell phone or by email at questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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