The sister of a little girl who was strangled to death in 1973 didn't expect to see a conclusion to the mysterious cold case, she told ABC News hours after a man's arrest was announced on Wednesday. Emailus. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. Now a Suspect Has Been Arrested, JonBent Ramsey's Father Is Optimistic DNA Advances Will Catch Daughter's Killer, Slams Boulder Police, DNA Taken from Truck's Door Handle in Washington Leads to Arrest 34 Years After Wisconsin Mom's Killing, Pa. "The hit on the genealogical DNA came back and hit in January so it was very recent," Spitzer said. Neal moved to. Generations of investigators worked on her case, said Lewis. Neal was arrested on February 19, 2019 in Monument, Colorado where he had been living with his family for three years. Man who served 15 years for murder his brother confessed to awarded $7,500,000, Woman 'sold 20 boxes of fetuses, hearts, genitalia and brains on Facebook', One killed after plane crashes into Los Angeles neighborhood. A poster of James Alan Neal during the Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors news conference on Feb. 20, 2019. Colorado Man Pleads Not Guilty In California Cold Case Death James Alan Neal was born James Albert Layton Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1946. The child disappeared while walking home from summer. Both of O'Keefe's parents have since died, but the girl was survived by two sisters, whom police had contacted with updates about Neal's arrest. James Alan Neal, 73, died on Wednesday at a hospital where he had been transferred in May to be treated for an illness, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Office. James Alan Neal fell ill and died while awaiting trial for the . The detectives dogged this case. Linda O'Keefe murder: James Neal DNA match leads to arrest for 1973 The community made sure that justice would be secured, he said.