CA CA - Theodore 'Ted' Reilly, 50, Oakland, May 1987

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_7691886

By Harry Harris OAKLAND _ After more than 20 years, East Bay Regional Park District police finally have the name of an Oakland man found murdered on a desolate hillside in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

Now detectives have launched a dual search for whoever killed Theodore Joseph ``Ted'' Reilly, a former Oakland gas station owner and tow truck operator, and anyone who knew him.
Reilly, who was 50 when he was killed, was officially identified Nov. 27 by a state Department of Justice Crime Lab. But why it took so long was not immediately known, especially since he had a criminal record.
Park district police sent Reilly's fingerprints and dental records to the state soon after the body was found. A justice department spokesman did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment about the delay. more at link

What in the world took so long? There has got to be a way to improve the way they do things, to make it run smoother.

I would guess... possibly... going from paper to digital. It costs a lot of money to covert paper records to digital records. I bet they couldn't be quickly compared.

In some cases, there are grants that departments can apply for, to pay for it. It's really sad- I think a lot could be solved if technology caught up with those old cases. Or maybe they didn't have the manpower to catch up on these cold cases. Sad.

A mug shot of Theodore Reilley, whose body was found in a Contra Costa County park in 1987.

LINK:
UPDATE: Dual search on for killer of long-dead Oakland man – East Bay Times