Murder victim
California death certificate of Christy Ellen Bryant of 831 E. 7th St, National City, San Diego, Ca, Billie L. Bryant PO Box 153 Kinderhook, NY, 12106, informant, records the following:
female, white, birthplace: Texas
date of birth: 6 Aug. 1951
age 22
date of death (found) 31 July 1974 3:25 a.m.
Father: Norman D. Bryant birthplace: Texas
mother: Billie Louise Bustard birthplace: Oklahoma
occupation: checker
number of years in occupation: 1
Employer: 7-11 Stores
Industry: Grocery-Retail
Place of death: National City 702 Highland Ave., San Diego, CA
Disposition: cremation
Funeral director: Berge-Roberts Mortuary
Crematory: Cyress View Crematory
8 Aug 1974
Cause of death: hemothorax, perforations right and left lungs, stab wounds chest and abdomen
Manner of death: Homicide
DNA leads to arrest in 1974 murder of 22-year-old 7-Eleven clerk
by: Brittney Donovan, Clara Benitez
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man was arrested in Las Vegas in connection with the 1974 murder of a 7-Eleven clerk in National City, police said Thursday.
Carlin Edward Cornett, 68, was arrested at his Las Vegas home 47 years after 22-year-old Christy Ellen Bryant was killed, the National City Police Department said. Bryant was working a solo shift in the early morning hours of July 31 at the now-shuttered 7-Eleven at 702 Highland Avenue in National City when she was brutally stabbed to death, police said in a news release.
Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 while serving in the United States Marine Corps, police said. She was working as a clerk at the convenience store after retiring from the armed services because of injuries sustained in a car accident.
She is survived by her father, Dr. N. Dale Bryant of Florida, and her two sisters, Tari Bryant of Florida and Holly Bryant of Texas.
Speaking to FOX 5 Thursday, Holly Bryant said she is glad the case wasn't forgotten, but she doesn't know if there will ever be closure. She was 20 at the time of her sister's murder and moved to National City for a period after it happened.
Bryant describes her late sister as "very friendly" and "always helpful," the type of person who was known for going out of her way to help others.
She said she and Tari still call each other each year on Christy's birthday.
"We think of her a lot," she said.
Even though DNA analysis wasn't available in 1974, police collected blood belonging to the suspect from the crime scene. Throughout the years, NCPD detectives looked at the case but no firm leads were developed.
The blood was submitted to the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory in 2008 for further analysis and entry into the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA profile remained in CODIS and was searched regularly with no hits.
In 2012, NCPD detectives requested the crime lab conduct a Y-STR analysis of the blood sample in order to perform a familial DNA search. In 2012, 2015 and 2016, California DOJ's Bureau of Forensic Services was contacted and familial DNA searches were performed on the sample with no luck.
NCPD joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office – Cold Case Homicide Unit in 2013 to try and solve the case. The partnership and advancements in forensic technology related to DNA helped lead to the identification of a suspect, police said.
Local law enforcement and investigators in Las Vegas arrested Cornett on Sept. 14 at his house on Mariner Bay Street. Cornett will be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, according to NCPD.
Bryant said she "at least" would like to see Cornett go to prison.
"I do want him to pay for what he did and I hope his family can accept it as well," she said.
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – The National City Police Department on Thursday announced an arrest in the 1974 stabbing death of a 7-Eleven worker.
On July 31, 1974, 22-year-old Christy Bryant was working alone at a 7-Eleven store on 702 Highland Ave. when she was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker.
Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene that included the attacker's blood, even though DNA testing was not available at the time.
The case went cold for several years as attempts to identify the suspect were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the killer's blood was submitted to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab "for further analysis and entry into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and was searched regularly with no hits."
National City Police stated: "Beginning in 2013, the National City Police Department joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office -- Cold Case Homicide Unit to try and solve the case. It was through this partnership as well as advancements in forensic technology related to DNA, that a suspect was identified."
"It never truly went cold, detectives have always been looking at it, poking at it, evaluating it, reviewing and seeing what can be done," Sgt. Mark Seagal, the lead detective on the case, said.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, 69-year-old Carlin Edward Cornett was identified thanks to "an in-house genealogist of the District Attorney's grant-funded Cold Homicide and Research Genealogy Effort (CHARGE). This is the third case solved under the grant and the first in which the defendant is still alive."
Cornett was found to be living in Las Vegas, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 14. He was booked into a Las Vegas jail and is expected to be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, National City Police said.
"It's a relief, but it's also unsettling because it's reliving so much of it," Holly Bryant, Christy's sister, said.
According to police, Christy Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 where she served in the Marine Corps until medically retiring in 1972 as a result of a car accident.
Holly Bryant said she was 20-years-old at the time of her sister's death, but remembers the gut-wrenching call like it was yesterday.
"It was some despair and disbelief and of course thinking oh no couldn't be," she recalled.
Many years passed with no answers.
"My mother has passed, but she never got over that.," Holly said. "She dealt with it but she never… none of us really did get over it."
However, a day Holly said she never thought would come did, giving the family more peace of mind and hopefully the justice they've longed for.
"People have suffered because of her loss," Holly said. "Things she wanted to accomplish and wanted to do, but she was never able to."
"We don't forget about it and it's important that people know that the law enforcement agencies will do whatever they can to seek justice on behalf of the family," Seagal said.
Note: The 7-Eleven store where the slaying occurred is no longer there; a Domino's Pizza now occupies the location.
California death certificate of Christy Ellen Bryant of 831 E. 7th St, National City, San Diego, Ca, Billie L. Bryant PO Box 153 Kinderhook, NY, 12106, informant, records the following:
female, white, birthplace: Texas
date of birth: 6 Aug. 1951
age 22
date of death (found) 31 July 1974 3:25 a.m.
Father: Norman D. Bryant birthplace: Texas
mother: Billie Louise Bustard birthplace: Oklahoma
occupation: checker
number of years in occupation: 1
Employer: 7-11 Stores
Industry: Grocery-Retail
Place of death: National City 702 Highland Ave., San Diego, CA
Disposition: cremation
Funeral director: Berge-Roberts Mortuary
Crematory: Cyress View Crematory
8 Aug 1974
Cause of death: hemothorax, perforations right and left lungs, stab wounds chest and abdomen
Manner of death: Homicide
DNA leads to arrest in 1974 murder of 22-year-old 7-Eleven clerk
by: Brittney Donovan, Clara Benitez
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man was arrested in Las Vegas in connection with the 1974 murder of a 7-Eleven clerk in National City, police said Thursday.
Carlin Edward Cornett, 68, was arrested at his Las Vegas home 47 years after 22-year-old Christy Ellen Bryant was killed, the National City Police Department said. Bryant was working a solo shift in the early morning hours of July 31 at the now-shuttered 7-Eleven at 702 Highland Avenue in National City when she was brutally stabbed to death, police said in a news release.
Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 while serving in the United States Marine Corps, police said. She was working as a clerk at the convenience store after retiring from the armed services because of injuries sustained in a car accident.
She is survived by her father, Dr. N. Dale Bryant of Florida, and her two sisters, Tari Bryant of Florida and Holly Bryant of Texas.
Speaking to FOX 5 Thursday, Holly Bryant said she is glad the case wasn't forgotten, but she doesn't know if there will ever be closure. She was 20 at the time of her sister's murder and moved to National City for a period after it happened.
Bryant describes her late sister as "very friendly" and "always helpful," the type of person who was known for going out of her way to help others.
She said she and Tari still call each other each year on Christy's birthday.
"We think of her a lot," she said.
Even though DNA analysis wasn't available in 1974, police collected blood belonging to the suspect from the crime scene. Throughout the years, NCPD detectives looked at the case but no firm leads were developed.
The blood was submitted to the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory in 2008 for further analysis and entry into the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA profile remained in CODIS and was searched regularly with no hits.
In 2012, NCPD detectives requested the crime lab conduct a Y-STR analysis of the blood sample in order to perform a familial DNA search. In 2012, 2015 and 2016, California DOJ's Bureau of Forensic Services was contacted and familial DNA searches were performed on the sample with no luck.
NCPD joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office – Cold Case Homicide Unit in 2013 to try and solve the case. The partnership and advancements in forensic technology related to DNA helped lead to the identification of a suspect, police said.
Local law enforcement and investigators in Las Vegas arrested Cornett on Sept. 14 at his house on Mariner Bay Street. Cornett will be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, according to NCPD.
Bryant said she "at least" would like to see Cornett go to prison.
"I do want him to pay for what he did and I hope his family can accept it as well," she said.
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – The National City Police Department on Thursday announced an arrest in the 1974 stabbing death of a 7-Eleven worker.
On July 31, 1974, 22-year-old Christy Bryant was working alone at a 7-Eleven store on 702 Highland Ave. when she was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker.
Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene that included the attacker's blood, even though DNA testing was not available at the time.
The case went cold for several years as attempts to identify the suspect were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the killer's blood was submitted to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab "for further analysis and entry into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and was searched regularly with no hits."
National City Police stated: "Beginning in 2013, the National City Police Department joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office -- Cold Case Homicide Unit to try and solve the case. It was through this partnership as well as advancements in forensic technology related to DNA, that a suspect was identified."
"It never truly went cold, detectives have always been looking at it, poking at it, evaluating it, reviewing and seeing what can be done," Sgt. Mark Seagal, the lead detective on the case, said.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, 69-year-old Carlin Edward Cornett was identified thanks to "an in-house genealogist of the District Attorney's grant-funded Cold Homicide and Research Genealogy Effort (CHARGE). This is the third case solved under the grant and the first in which the defendant is still alive."
Cornett was found to be living in Las Vegas, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 14. He was booked into a Las Vegas jail and is expected to be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, National City Police said.
"It's a relief, but it's also unsettling because it's reliving so much of it," Holly Bryant, Christy's sister, said.
According to police, Christy Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 where she served in the Marine Corps until medically retiring in 1972 as a result of a car accident.
Holly Bryant said she was 20-years-old at the time of her sister's death, but remembers the gut-wrenching call like it was yesterday.
"It was some despair and disbelief and of course thinking oh no couldn't be," she recalled.
Many years passed with no answers.
"My mother has passed, but she never got over that.," Holly said. "She dealt with it but she never… none of us really did get over it."
However, a day Holly said she never thought would come did, giving the family more peace of mind and hopefully the justice they've longed for.
"People have suffered because of her loss," Holly said. "Things she wanted to accomplish and wanted to do, but she was never able to."
"We don't forget about it and it's important that people know that the law enforcement agencies will do whatever they can to seek justice on behalf of the family," Seagal said.
Note: The 7-Eleven store where the slaying occurred is no longer there; a Domino's Pizza now occupies the location.
Murder victim
California death certificate of Christy Ellen Bryant of 831 E. 7th St, National City, San Diego, Ca, Billie L. Bryant PO Box 153 Kinderhook, NY, 12106, informant, records the following:
female, white, birthplace: Texas
date of birth: 6 Aug. 1951
age 22
date of death (found) 31 July 1974 3:25 a.m.
Father: Norman D. Bryant birthplace: Texas
mother: Billie Louise Bustard birthplace: Oklahoma
occupation: checker
number of years in occupation: 1
Employer: 7-11 Stores
Industry: Grocery-Retail
Place of death: National City 702 Highland Ave., San Diego, CA
Disposition: cremation
Funeral director: Berge-Roberts Mortuary
Crematory: Cyress View Crematory
8 Aug 1974
Cause of death: hemothorax, perforations right and left lungs, stab wounds chest and abdomen
Manner of death: Homicide
DNA leads to arrest in 1974 murder of 22-year-old 7-Eleven clerk
by: Brittney Donovan, Clara Benitez
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man was arrested in Las Vegas in connection with the 1974 murder of a 7-Eleven clerk in National City, police said Thursday.
Carlin Edward Cornett, 68, was arrested at his Las Vegas home 47 years after 22-year-old Christy Ellen Bryant was killed, the National City Police Department said. Bryant was working a solo shift in the early morning hours of July 31 at the now-shuttered 7-Eleven at 702 Highland Avenue in National City when she was brutally stabbed to death, police said in a news release.
Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 while serving in the United States Marine Corps, police said. She was working as a clerk at the convenience store after retiring from the armed services because of injuries sustained in a car accident.
She is survived by her father, Dr. N. Dale Bryant of Florida, and her two sisters, Tari Bryant of Florida and Holly Bryant of Texas.
Speaking to FOX 5 Thursday, Holly Bryant said she is glad the case wasn't forgotten, but she doesn't know if there will ever be closure. She was 20 at the time of her sister's murder and moved to National City for a period after it happened.
Bryant describes her late sister as "very friendly" and "always helpful," the type of person who was known for going out of her way to help others.
She said she and Tari still call each other each year on Christy's birthday.
"We think of her a lot," she said.
Even though DNA analysis wasn't available in 1974, police collected blood belonging to the suspect from the crime scene. Throughout the years, NCPD detectives looked at the case but no firm leads were developed.
The blood was submitted to the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory in 2008 for further analysis and entry into the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA profile remained in CODIS and was searched regularly with no hits.
In 2012, NCPD detectives requested the crime lab conduct a Y-STR analysis of the blood sample in order to perform a familial DNA search. In 2012, 2015 and 2016, California DOJ's Bureau of Forensic Services was contacted and familial DNA searches were performed on the sample with no luck.
NCPD joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office – Cold Case Homicide Unit in 2013 to try and solve the case. The partnership and advancements in forensic technology related to DNA helped lead to the identification of a suspect, police said.
Local law enforcement and investigators in Las Vegas arrested Cornett on Sept. 14 at his house on Mariner Bay Street. Cornett will be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, according to NCPD.
Bryant said she "at least" would like to see Cornett go to prison.
"I do want him to pay for what he did and I hope his family can accept it as well," she said.
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – The National City Police Department on Thursday announced an arrest in the 1974 stabbing death of a 7-Eleven worker.
On July 31, 1974, 22-year-old Christy Bryant was working alone at a 7-Eleven store on 702 Highland Ave. when she was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker.
Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene that included the attacker's blood, even though DNA testing was not available at the time.
The case went cold for several years as attempts to identify the suspect were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the killer's blood was submitted to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab "for further analysis and entry into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and was searched regularly with no hits."
National City Police stated: "Beginning in 2013, the National City Police Department joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office -- Cold Case Homicide Unit to try and solve the case. It was through this partnership as well as advancements in forensic technology related to DNA, that a suspect was identified."
"It never truly went cold, detectives have always been looking at it, poking at it, evaluating it, reviewing and seeing what can be done," Sgt. Mark Seagal, the lead detective on the case, said.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, 69-year-old Carlin Edward Cornett was identified thanks to "an in-house genealogist of the District Attorney's grant-funded Cold Homicide and Research Genealogy Effort (CHARGE). This is the third case solved under the grant and the first in which the defendant is still alive."
Cornett was found to be living in Las Vegas, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 14. He was booked into a Las Vegas jail and is expected to be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, National City Police said.
"It's a relief, but it's also unsettling because it's reliving so much of it," Holly Bryant, Christy's sister, said.
According to police, Christy Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 where she served in the Marine Corps until medically retiring in 1972 as a result of a car accident.
Holly Bryant said she was 20-years-old at the time of her sister's death, but remembers the gut-wrenching call like it was yesterday.
"It was some despair and disbelief and of course thinking oh no couldn't be," she recalled.
Many years passed with no answers.
"My mother has passed, but she never got over that.," Holly said. "She dealt with it but she never… none of us really did get over it."
However, a day Holly said she never thought would come did, giving the family more peace of mind and hopefully the justice they've longed for.
"People have suffered because of her loss," Holly said. "Things she wanted to accomplish and wanted to do, but she was never able to."
"We don't forget about it and it's important that people know that the law enforcement agencies will do whatever they can to seek justice on behalf of the family," Seagal said.
Note: The 7-Eleven store where the slaying occurred is no longer there; a Domino's Pizza now occupies the location.
California death certificate of Christy Ellen Bryant of 831 E. 7th St, National City, San Diego, Ca, Billie L. Bryant PO Box 153 Kinderhook, NY, 12106, informant, records the following:
female, white, birthplace: Texas
date of birth: 6 Aug. 1951
age 22
date of death (found) 31 July 1974 3:25 a.m.
Father: Norman D. Bryant birthplace: Texas
mother: Billie Louise Bustard birthplace: Oklahoma
occupation: checker
number of years in occupation: 1
Employer: 7-11 Stores
Industry: Grocery-Retail
Place of death: National City 702 Highland Ave., San Diego, CA
Disposition: cremation
Funeral director: Berge-Roberts Mortuary
Crematory: Cyress View Crematory
8 Aug 1974
Cause of death: hemothorax, perforations right and left lungs, stab wounds chest and abdomen
Manner of death: Homicide
DNA leads to arrest in 1974 murder of 22-year-old 7-Eleven clerk
by: Brittney Donovan, Clara Benitez
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — A man was arrested in Las Vegas in connection with the 1974 murder of a 7-Eleven clerk in National City, police said Thursday.
Carlin Edward Cornett, 68, was arrested at his Las Vegas home 47 years after 22-year-old Christy Ellen Bryant was killed, the National City Police Department said. Bryant was working a solo shift in the early morning hours of July 31 at the now-shuttered 7-Eleven at 702 Highland Avenue in National City when she was brutally stabbed to death, police said in a news release.
Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 while serving in the United States Marine Corps, police said. She was working as a clerk at the convenience store after retiring from the armed services because of injuries sustained in a car accident.
She is survived by her father, Dr. N. Dale Bryant of Florida, and her two sisters, Tari Bryant of Florida and Holly Bryant of Texas.
Speaking to FOX 5 Thursday, Holly Bryant said she is glad the case wasn't forgotten, but she doesn't know if there will ever be closure. She was 20 at the time of her sister's murder and moved to National City for a period after it happened.
Bryant describes her late sister as "very friendly" and "always helpful," the type of person who was known for going out of her way to help others.
She said she and Tari still call each other each year on Christy's birthday.
"We think of her a lot," she said.
Even though DNA analysis wasn't available in 1974, police collected blood belonging to the suspect from the crime scene. Throughout the years, NCPD detectives looked at the case but no firm leads were developed.
The blood was submitted to the San Diego Sheriff's Crime Laboratory in 2008 for further analysis and entry into the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA profile remained in CODIS and was searched regularly with no hits.
In 2012, NCPD detectives requested the crime lab conduct a Y-STR analysis of the blood sample in order to perform a familial DNA search. In 2012, 2015 and 2016, California DOJ's Bureau of Forensic Services was contacted and familial DNA searches were performed on the sample with no luck.
NCPD joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office – Cold Case Homicide Unit in 2013 to try and solve the case. The partnership and advancements in forensic technology related to DNA helped lead to the identification of a suspect, police said.
Local law enforcement and investigators in Las Vegas arrested Cornett on Sept. 14 at his house on Mariner Bay Street. Cornett will be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, according to NCPD.
Bryant said she "at least" would like to see Cornett go to prison.
"I do want him to pay for what he did and I hope his family can accept it as well," she said.
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – The National City Police Department on Thursday announced an arrest in the 1974 stabbing death of a 7-Eleven worker.
On July 31, 1974, 22-year-old Christy Bryant was working alone at a 7-Eleven store on 702 Highland Ave. when she was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker.
Investigators collected evidence from the crime scene that included the attacker's blood, even though DNA testing was not available at the time.
The case went cold for several years as attempts to identify the suspect were unsuccessful.
In 2008, the killer's blood was submitted to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab "for further analysis and entry into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and was searched regularly with no hits."
National City Police stated: "Beginning in 2013, the National City Police Department joined forces with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office -- Cold Case Homicide Unit to try and solve the case. It was through this partnership as well as advancements in forensic technology related to DNA, that a suspect was identified."
"It never truly went cold, detectives have always been looking at it, poking at it, evaluating it, reviewing and seeing what can be done," Sgt. Mark Seagal, the lead detective on the case, said.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, 69-year-old Carlin Edward Cornett was identified thanks to "an in-house genealogist of the District Attorney's grant-funded Cold Homicide and Research Genealogy Effort (CHARGE). This is the third case solved under the grant and the first in which the defendant is still alive."
Cornett was found to be living in Las Vegas, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 14. He was booked into a Las Vegas jail and is expected to be extradited to San Diego to face murder charges, National City Police said.
"It's a relief, but it's also unsettling because it's reliving so much of it," Holly Bryant, Christy's sister, said.
According to police, Christy Bryant originally came to San Diego in 1971 where she served in the Marine Corps until medically retiring in 1972 as a result of a car accident.
Holly Bryant said she was 20-years-old at the time of her sister's death, but remembers the gut-wrenching call like it was yesterday.
"It was some despair and disbelief and of course thinking oh no couldn't be," she recalled.
Many years passed with no answers.
"My mother has passed, but she never got over that.," Holly said. "She dealt with it but she never… none of us really did get over it."
However, a day Holly said she never thought would come did, giving the family more peace of mind and hopefully the justice they've longed for.
"People have suffered because of her loss," Holly said. "Things she wanted to accomplish and wanted to do, but she was never able to."
"We don't forget about it and it's important that people know that the law enforcement agencies will do whatever they can to seek justice on behalf of the family," Seagal said.
Note: The 7-Eleven store where the slaying occurred is no longer there; a Domino's Pizza now occupies the location.
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