Michael Eugene Mullen, 75, has been arrested in connection with the 1973 shooting death of Nina “Nadine” Fischer in California, thanks to DNA evidence. Fischer, a 31-year-old Swedish national, was found dead in her San Rafael home, sexually assaulted and shot three times, with her 2-year-old daughter unharmed in another room. The case had gone cold for decades, but in 2021, DNA evidence led investigators to Mullen, who was arrested near Salmon, Idaho, and is awaiting extradition to California. The case was cracked after the Marin County Sheriff’s Office sent it to the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program, which identified Mullen as a potential suspect after comparing DNA from the crime scene to a DNA database. Mullen’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Law enforcement officials had questioned witnesses, but the case remained unsolved until the breakthrough in 2021. The Marin County District Attorney’s office and sheriff’s office worked with Idaho authorities to make the arrest. Mullen is currently in custody in Lemhi County, Idaho, facing suspicion of murder charges in connection with Fischer’s death more than 50 years ago.
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