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Man Held in 1982 Oxnard Slaying

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From a Times Staff Writer

A suspect in a 21-year-old Oxnard homicide case was arrested on suspicion of murder in Michigan this week after a match of forensic evidence collected at the scene of the crime, authorities said Wednesday.

Edward McMillan, 43, was taken into custody in Kalamazoo early Tuesday, after a joint investigation involving detectives from both police agencies, said Oxnard Police Cmdr. Brian MacDonald. McMillan is a suspect in the stabbing death of Merlin Oliveros, 35, who was killed Dec. 22, 1982, in southwest Oxnard, he said.

At the time of the slaying, no suspects were identified, MacDonald said. But forensic evidence was collected at the scene, and as technology improved through the years, much of that evidence was entered into state and national crime databases, he said.

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Oxnard detectives were recently notified of an evidence match with McMillan. They traced him to Michigan and contacted police there, MacDonald said.

McMillan remains in custody in Kalamazoo pending extradition to California, he said.

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