The Wichita Police Department says it has identified the person who sexually assaulted and murdered Krista Martin, a 20-year-old woman more than 30 years ago.

What we do know about Krista is that she was shy, very quiet, and kept to herself. Krista wasn’t the type of person that would go out looking for trouble. Krista was living in Wichita, KS at the time of her death and had recently been laid off from her job at Kansas Blueprint.

In September of 1989, police were called to Krista’s apartment.

A neighbor reported hearing screaming and yelling across the street, likely a fight. When she glanced out of her window sometime between 3:00-4:00 am, she saw two men outside of Krista’s apartment.

According to this neighbor, one of the men asked “Why did you have to hit her?” and the other responded, “Because she’s a woman and deserved it."

Two weeks later, Krista’s body was found on October 2, 1989.

Krista was last seen on the afternoon of Sunday, October 1, 1989. At around 1:00 am on October 2, 1989, her body was found in her apartment by a friend who had grown worried and visited to check on her. Krista was lying on her couch fully clothed. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment and no signs of burglary.

The man who found Krista’s body was quickly questioned by authorities. He explained that he wasn’t sure what made him concerned to the point that he felt the need to go check on Krista. He is later ruled out as a suspect in Krista’s murder.

Krista’s autopsy revealed that she had been killed by a blow to the back left side of her head with some kind of blunt object. Authorities are unsure what kind of object was used in her murder and did not find any weapons in her apartment.

Justice More than 30 Years Later

The Wichita Police Department says it has identified the person who sexually assaulted and murdered Krista Martin, a 20-year-old woman more than 30 years ago.

"Initial efforts included the collection of DNA evidence, although, at the time, DNA testing and CODIS systems were not available," the Wichita Police Department said. "Nonetheless, the DNA evidence was carefully preserved."

Now, thanks to technological advancements and the help of the FBI, an IGG Team, Othram, and the Regional Forensic Science Center, investigators were unable to identify her killer — Paul Hart.

Paul Hart died in a traffic collision in Memphis, Tennessee in March of 1999. When investigators started to look into him as a possible suspect, they collected additional DNA samples from direct relatives of Hart for further analysis. Once they confirmed his DNA was linked to Krista, the District Attorney said charges would have been filed if Hart were still alive.

Since he is deceased, Krista's case is now considered closed.