DNA Evidence Cracks 1987 Cold-Case Murder of Flagstaff NAU Student

Ina Claire Langstaff was in her first semester at Northern Arizona University, a political science major with a minor in French, when she was found stabbed to death outside her apartment on the 500 block of Tucson Avenue in Flagstaff's Old Town neighborhood on Nov. 7, 1987. She was 24 years old. For nearly four decades, her killer remained free.

That changed on March 24, 2026, when authorities announced the arrest of James Arthur Runnels Jr., 62, a former Flagstaff resident who had been living in Glendale at the time of his arrest. A Coconino County grand jury had already returned an indictment charging Runnels with one count of first-degree murder on March 19. Runnels lived in Flagstaff at the time of the killing.

The break came through science. Investigators re-examined the case in 2025 and submitted evidence from the original crime scene for advanced forensic DNA testing through the Arizona Department of Public Safety's Northern Regional Crime Lab and Bode Technology. According to reporting from KAFF, Langstaff had been stabbed 20 times in the upper torso. The DNA results, developed in 2025, provided what authorities described as the confirmation needed to establish Runnels as the suspect and bring the case before a grand jury.

"Ina's family has waited nearly four decades for answers," Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said. "Our office, in partnership with the Flagstaff Police Department, has worked diligently to follow the evidence and take this important step toward justice for Ms. Langstaff, her family and our community."

The Flagstaff Police Department added in a statement that it "remains steadfast in its commitment to seeking justice for victims and their families, regardless of how much time has passed."

Investigators have not released a motive, and no arraignment date has been announced. Langstaff, who previously lived in Phoenix with her brother and aunt and in Georgia before enrolling at NAU, never made it past her first semester. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Flagstaff Police Department at 928-774-1414 or Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.