Sheila and Katherine Lyon.
Montgomery County, Md., Police Department / AP
Authorities on Wednesday announced a man had been charged with two counts of murder over the 1975 disappearance of two sisters who vanished after walking from their home to a Maryland mall.
Lloyd Lee Welch, Jr., a 58-year-old already serving a prison sentence for child sex offenses, was indicted by a grand jury on Friday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the cold case of missing sisters Sheila Lyon, 12, and her 10-year-old Katherine.
The two girls vanished after leaving their home in Montgomery county to walk to the Wheaton Plaza mall on March 25, 1975 to look at Easter decorations, but never returned home. No trace of the girls was ever found.
"This case has never left the collective consciousness of this police department, nor our community," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said Wednesday at a news conference, which was attended by the parents of the two girls.
A 1977 mugshot of Lloyd Lee Welch Jr.
Montgomery County, Md., Police Department / AP
After spending 16,000 hours investigating the cold case in the last two years, authorities began presenting evidence to a grand jury in October 2014, culminating with Friday's indictment against Welch.
At the time of the sisters' disappearance, Welch was an 18-year-old carnival worker and drifter. Last year, was named as a person of interest in the case, with authorities saying he was at the mall the day the girls vanished.
“The abduction of Sheila and Katherine Lyon has haunted this community and this police department,” Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger told reporters. He said his officers have "never given up on finding these girls.”
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SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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