Authorities in northern Arizona say they have made an arrest in a nearly four-decade-old cold case murder in Flagstaff.
Flagstaff Police and the Coconino County Attorney’s Office took 62-year-old James Arthur Runnels Jr. into custody for the stabbing death of Ina Claire Langstaff.
The 24-year-old Northern Arizona University student was found dead in November 1987 outside her apartment in Flagstaff’s Old Town neighborhood in on Tucson Avenue.
Officials say the case has remained unsolved for decades despite an extensive investigation. At the time, law enforcement conducted numerous interviews and have continued to analyze and gather evidence.
A grand jury returned an indictment on March 19 charging Runnels with first-degree murder.
“Ina’s family has waited nearly four decades for answers,” says Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker. “Our office, in partnership with the Flagstaff Police Department, has worked diligently to follow the evidence and take this important step toward justice for Ms. Langstaff, her family and our community.”
In 2025 authorities submitted items for advanced forensic DNA testing to the Department of Public Safety’s Northern Regional Crime Laboratory, which they say linked Runnels to the crime.
At the time of the murder, Runnels was a resident of Flagstaff but was living in Glendale when he was arrested.
Officials did not say when Runnels will be arraigned.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police department or Silent Witness at (928) 774-6111.
