[November 21, 2009] Kidnapping case solved after 26 years Tweet WEST COVINA, Nov 21, 2009 (San Gabriel Valley Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For more than 26 years, police had no suspect in a kidnapping that left a 29-year-old woman's throat slashed. That changed Wednesday when officers arrested Thanksnieky Phuong, 44, on suspicion of kidnapping and stabbing the woman in the 2000 block of Thomas Place on June 2, 1983, according to officials. Fingerprints, taken from the crime scene in 1983, and the advent of computer databases finally led police to arrest Phuong, West Covina Police Lt. Ron Mitchell said. "At the time, we couldn't enter fingerprints in a database," Mitchell said. "Now we can enter prints from crimes that happened years ago and identify a person." Police reopened the case in October, officials said. "We don't have that many cold cases," Mitchell said. "But we tend to look at the ones we do have on a regular basis." The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Phuong with kidnapping on Oct. 19, district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said. With an arrest warrant in hand, West Covina police drove to Phuong's home in Riverside and waited outside for him, Mitchell said. Once Phuong emerged, police slapped the cuffs on, Mitchell said, but Phuong wasn't surprised. And police suspect Phuong may have committed similar crimes, Mitchell said. "We don't know what he's been doing from then until now," Mitchell said. "If someone does something like this, it's probably not their first time and it's probably not the only time." The woman who was attacked is now 55 years old. "She remembers it vividly and has been cooperating," Mitchell said. Phuong remains in West Covina City Jail in lieu of $1 million bail, according to Sheriff's Department booking records. Police continue to investigate Phuong and hope that someone might be able to help them identify him as a suspect in other crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call West Covina police at (626) 939-8557. [email protected] (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2477 To see more of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sgvtribune.com. Copyright (c) 2009, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]