Danny Edwards Charged In 1973 Child Rape Case

A 63-year-old Virginia man has been charged with the 1973 rape of a victim who was just 13 years old at the time.

Danny Edwards, of Isle of Wight County, Va., turned himself in on Nov. 15 after police said the victim came forward with DNA evidence linking Edwards to the alleged rape.

In the interest of protecting the victim, police are not releasing any further details. In a statement, Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Rick Gaddis said that this might be the oldest case ever to be prosecuted in the county.

Edwards, who was 23 years old when the crime allegedly occurred, was released on $10,000 bond. He was released "because the law must prosecute under the law as it was written in 1973 when the alleged crime took place," according to WAVY.

Edwards is a lifelong Isle of Wight County resident and has strong ties to the community. He has no other criminal history.

DNA evidence has proven vital in linking criminals to cold cases. In October, a Colorado man was charged in a kidnapping and sexual assault case dating back to 1995.

Although that case was first reviewed in 2004, investigators lacked sufficient DNA to produce a profile at the time. In June 2013, however, new technology matched the DNA profile to a federal database.