Fred Cain III, 69, of Gold Hill was arrested last week in connection to a 1987 cold case involving the murder of a 6-year-old child who had been abducted near Cain's home in Vallejo, California.

A Gold Hill man is lodged in the Jackson County Jail after authorities arrested him last week in connection to the murder of a 6-year-old boy in California in 1987.

Fred Marion Cain III, 69, was arrested on charges of murder, kidnapping and sodomy Sept. 18 at his apartment in the 9500 block of Old Stage Road, according to a press release from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. 

The sheriff’s office assisted in the arrest of Cain and the collection of his DNA after the Solano County District Attorney’s Office reopened its cold case unit and began looking into the unsolved murder of Jeremy Stoner of Vallejo, California. 

Aaron Lewis, public information officer for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, said in an interview he is “thankful” for the Solano County District Attorney’s office for all of their hard work.

“And pouring through the cold case files and getting this man out of our community,” Lewis added. “The fact that even 36 years later we’ve had an arrest on this one is a huge victory. Hopefully he will see his day in court. 

“I can’t imagine what the family went through at the time and even years and years later,” Lewis added. “This is just one step closer to obtaining justice for that little boy.”

According to previous news reports, Stoner went missing Feb. 21, 1987, when a relative was watching him and his older siblings while their parents were at work. The relative reportedly had to take one of their own children to the emergency room, leaving Stoner and his siblings alone. 

Despite being told by the relative to stay home, the children went to a neighbor’s house, where Stoner was scolded for spilling ketchup, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee. Around 3:30 p.m., Stoner disappeared.

Stoner’s mother arrived home from work and found her son missing, and local authorities launched an investigation. A worker at a Vallejo Dairy Queen reportedly told investigators that Stoner was seen with a man around 7:30 p.m.

A few days later, a group of people driving down a rural California road discovered Stoner’s naked body in the mud.

California authorities later arrested a suspect, Shawn Melton. But Melton later walked free after two juries could not reach a verdict. 

When the Solano County District Attorney’s Office reopened its cold case unit, Lewis said, detectives found in the case files an interview with Cain, who had not been named a suspect in 1987.

“The detectives and current district attorney investigators, they were able to find a needle in a haystack and it actually led to the arrest of this suspect,” Lewis said. 

That district attorney’s office was able to get a warrant to swab Cain for his DNA, Lewis said. An allegedly positive match allowed Solano County police to issue an arrest warrant for Cain. In order for the agency to arrest him, Lewis said, the sheriff’s office had to ask a Jackson County Circuit Court judge to sign off on the arrest.

Judge Charles G. Kochlacs signed a fugitive complaint from Jackson County Deputy Sheriff Steve Sagert. Judge Sara Collins then signed a judgment remanding Cain to custody of the sheriff’s office and ordered California to take custody of him within 21 days. 

“Our detectives were really excited to help solve this 36-year-old cold case,” Lewis said.