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Transient held in slaying of Moreno Valley woman

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Times Staff Writer

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 22-year-old man Wednesday in the sexual assault and slaying of an elderly woman at a Moreno Valley assisted living center last year, officials said.

Frank Gabriel Galvan, a transient formerly of Moreno Valley, was taken into custody about noon in Riverside, officials said. The victim, 85-year-old Evelyn Ruth Ryan, was found slain Jan. 29, 2006. Investigators recovered fingerprints at the scene but couldn’t connect them to a suspect, said Jerry Franchville, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

With the public’s help, the department created a composite sketch, and the city of Moreno Valley offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The case was also featured on the America’s Most Wanted website.

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Two weeks ago, Galvan was arrested and released by the Riverside Police Department on a drug charge. When his fingerprints were processed, authorities said, police discovered that they matched those found the previous year.

During questioning, Galvan made incriminating statements consistent with evidence from the crime, police said.

sara.lin@latimes.com

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