Victim in 40-year-old New Jersey cold case identified, suspect charged with murder

WABC logo
Friday, July 15, 2022
Victim in 40-year-old NJ cold case identified, suspect charged
The victim in a previously unsolved 40-year-old cold case was identified as Dawn Olanick, and Arthur Kinlaw has been charged with murder. Toni Yates has the story.

BLAIRSTOWN, New Jersey (WABC) -- The victim in a previously unsolved 40-year-old cold case murder has been identified and a suspect charged, authorities in New Jersey announced Friday.

The Warren County Prosecutor's Office said Friday that the victim in the July 1982 homicide -- previously dubbed Princess Doe -- is 17-year-old Dawn Olanick, of West Babylon, Long Island.

They also announced that 68-year-old Arthur Kinlaw is now charged with murder in the case.

Kinlaw, currently serving 20 years to life in Sullivan County on two first-degree murder convictions, tried to lure Olanick into prostitution and killed her after she refused, authorities said.

Olanick's body was found on July 15, 1982, behind Cedar Ridge Cemetery on Highway 94 in Blairstown Township near the Pennsylvania border.

Authorities have said she was beaten beyond recognition.

Authorities said she had been deceased for less than a week prior to being found and was believed to be between 15 and 20 years of age.

Residents of the area gave her a burial, and she became known as Princess Doe, a name given to her by investigators who sought to identify her.

Her burial site contains a gravestone that reads: "Princess Doe. Missing from home. Dead among strangers. Remembered by all."

Olanick's identity was finally confirmed April 29, authorities said.

"For 40 years, law enforcement has not given up on Princess Doe," Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer said Friday during a news conference with New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement and assisting agencies.

Kinlaw confessed to the Princess Doe slaying in written statements dating to 2005, authorities revealed Friday. But the prosecutor said that determining the victim's identity was crucial to assembling a solid case.

The victim's family was present at the announcement.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

ALSO READ | American Airlines changes family's flight to another country, asks them to pay $30K, passenger says

A family filed a complaint against American, alleging that the airline changed their return flight to depart from Saint Vincent to Saint Lucia.

----------

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More New Jersey news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.