Arrest Finally Made in the 1979 ‘Depraved’ Double-Murder of a Nebraska Mom and Her 7-Year-Old Son

A Nebraska woman and her child were found murdered in their home in 1979. Nearly 46 years later, an arrest has finally been made in the case.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Omaha Police Department (OPD) announced that 67-year-old Abdulmalik Husain, formerly known as Louis Walker, has been booked on two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Deroshia Matthews, 26, and her son, Kamal Matthews, 7. 

“On Tuesday, April 24th, 1979, officers responded to 4264 Binney Street around 8 a.m. after being contacted by concerned family and friends of Ms. Matthews and her son, Kamal. They reported they had not heard from or seen them which was unusual. Ms. Matthews and her son were found dead inside their home,” the department shared in a previous statement on the case.

Police determined that the mother had been sexually assaulted and that the victims showed signs of strangulation that appeared “consistent with a rope or cord,” a Douglas County judge said in court on Thursday, Feb. 13, per CNN.

Omaha Police homicide Lt. Nicholas Andrews also told the outlet that Husain knew Deroshia, having met her at a community event four years prior in 1975. Andrews said that while Husain was initially a person of interest in the case, there was not enough evidence to officially book him at the time.

CNN reported that a break in the case initially came in 2004, when Husain was arrested on a different charge in Colorado, and his DNA was entered into the national Combined DNA Index System. While Husain’s DNA matched samples taken from the murder scene, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office was forced to dismiss the charges due to a clerical error.

However, a new break came in 2021, when forensic advancements enabled investigators to reexamine “key evidence,” which ultimately led to the recent arrest, Andrews told CNN.

Husain’s attorney, Douglas County Public Defender Thomas C. Riley, who also represented Husain in 2004, told PEOPLE that he currently has no comment on the most recent charges.

In a statement regarding the case posted on the OPD’s official Facebook page on Feb. 15, Chief Todd Schmaderer said, “Murders are never forgotten, and justice has no expiration date.”

“The depraved nature of this double homicide — one victim being a child — was bound to receive our utmost attention. Our commitment to these victims and their family never wavered,” Schmaderer added.

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The OPD said it was “proud” to announce the “significant breakthrough” in the case, noting that the break was the result of “relentless investigative work, advancements in forensic technology and unwavering dedication.”

Husain is currently being held without bond, per local news outlet KETV.