KING COUNTY, Wash. — A 65-year-old man in Van Buren County, Arkansas was arrested and charged for allegedly killing a woman in Kent in 1980.
Kenneth Duane Kundert was charged with first-degree murder on Aug. 20 in King County Superior Court for the death of Dorothy “Dottie” Silzel. The state has requested bail be set at $3 million.
Kundert is currently in Van Buren County Jail. He was arrested after being linked to the crime scene through DNA technology.
Silzel was a 30-year-old woman working full-time as an instructor for Boeing and part-time at a pizza restaurant.
“Dottie loved life and people,” said her brother, Jimmy Yantzer.
On the evening of Feb. 23, 1980, Silzel left the restaurant around 10 p.m. after her shift ended.
Kent police responded to a request for assistance at her condominium on Feb. 26, 1980. Silzel's friends were concerned after not being able to contact her. She had not reported to work at Boeing for two days.
Silzel was found dead on the floor of her condo. DNA evidence was collected.
An autopsy determined that Silzel was strangled to death.
Longtime Kent Police Sergeant Tim Ford poured his heart into the investigation for years.
“I didn't know all the facts. But once I got into it… I couldn't put it down,” Ford said, emotionally.
In March 2022, DNA technology led to 11 potential suspects.
In September 2023, detectives began looking into Kundert, who was under investigation for an assault in Arkansas.
During an interview with Kundert, detectives tried to get a DNA sample from him. He would smoke but would put the cigarette butt into his pocket each time, according to charging documents. When he finished drinking water from a bottle, he put the bottle in his pocket. He also declined a voluntary sample.
Detectives learned Kundert worked in Seattle and Snohomish County in 1987, but records before that were not available. They also learned a family member lived in an apartment 1,200 feet away from where Silzel lived at the time.
Kent police detectives conducted surveillance on Kundert in Clinton, Arkansas on March 22. They found a cigarette with his DNA on it that he dropped before entering a store.
The DNA from the cigarette matched the DNA found in Silzel's condo.
“Now, more than 44 years later, we begin the final chapters of the story, finding some answers,” said Padilla.
Silzel is survived by eight siblings.
Her brother said Wednesday, “The apprehension of Dottie’s killer has also given hope to so many other families that are waiting for a resolution to their active or cold case.”