A 79-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the 1975 death of her stepfather, a case that remained unsolved for decades until advances in forensic genealogy and DNA testing identified the victim and led to her arrest.
The Arrest and Charges
Carol Ann Beall was arrested on Thursday and appeared in court where she was charged with first-degree murder in the 1975 death of William Reginald Sipfle, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Sipfle was 73 when he disappeared in 1975. Prosecutors allege the killing occurred between October 9 and October 15, 1975. They further claim that Beall continued living in Sipfle’s home for decades after his disappearance and collected between $250,000 and $600,000 in pension and Social Security benefits that rightfully belonged to him.
The Discovery of Remains
In October 1975, human remains were discovered at a landfill near Ryan Airfield. Investigators were unable to identify the victim at that time, and the case remained dormant for nearly half a century. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos noted that no missing person report was ever filed, despite family members being aware that Sipfle had vanished. “They never made a police report, a missing police report, but they knew he had up and disappeared,” Nanos said. He added, “You had no idea what you have in front of you because you don’t know who this is. There’s no fingerprints to be had.”
Forensic Genealogy Breakthrough
In 2025, the sheriff’s department partnered with a forensic genealogy company to reexamine the cold case. DNA testing ultimately led investigators to Sipfle’s granddaughter, which enabled them to identify the remains and reopen the investigation. Nanos expressed hope that the same technology would help solve other cold cases. “We’re smart enough to know that we’re not gonna have all the answers,” he said. “But they’re out there, and a lab like this did a great job in helping us find out exactly not only who Mr. Sipfle was, but also maybe how this event occurred.”
Defense and Court Proceedings
Beall, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee who has lived in Tucson for more than 50 years, has no prior criminal history, her defense team argued in court. A judge ordered that Beall remain jailed on a $500,000 bond. If released, she will be prohibited from leaving Arizona, possessing weapons, or contacting Sipfle’s family. She is due back in court on June 4.
Family Reaction
Sipfle’s family released a statement expressing relief that the decades-long mystery had finally been resolved. “The Sipfle family is relieved to have closure regarding the whereabouts of our grandfather, William Reginald Sipfle, with the positive identification of our grandfather’s remains,” the statement read. “With this new information about our grandfather, we are processing the circumstances around his death and reliving painful memories of his disappearance and of our father’s efforts to locate his father.” The family also expressed gratitude to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department Cold Case Unit, Resolve Forensics, Intermountain Forensics, and other agencies that contributed to the identification. They requested privacy during this challenging time.
