Arlene Hall

For more than two decades, the family of Arlene Hall lived without answers after her life was tragically taken in Dayton, Ohio. The case remained cold for 23 years, a painful open wound for her loved ones and the community. But in September 2026, a breakthrough born from advances in forensic science finally led to an arrest, bringing a long-awaited measure of hope for justice.

Arlene, a female resident of Dayton, was last seen alive in March 2003. Her son, concerned for her welfare, officially reported her missing to the Dayton Police Department on April 3, 2003. The search ended in heartbreak on April 21, when detectives discovered her body in the basement of a house at 2027 Germantown Street. An autopsy later determined that she had been strangled, and her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators pursued several leads in the initial phase of the case, but no solid suspects were ever identified, and with no new information coming in, the investigation eventually went cold.

For years, there was no movement. Then, in December 2025, Dayton Police Department cold case investigators decided to take a fresh look at the evidence. A grant had provided the department with the resources to resubmit items from old cases for new forensic analysis. Technology had advanced significantly since 2003, allowing scientists to test for smaller traces of DNA evidence. One of the items resubmitted to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) crime lab was a piece of clothing Arlene was wearing when she was found.

The wait for results paid off. On July 10, 2026, the BCI crime lab notified Dayton police that they had successfully isolated a DNA profile of an unknown male from the evidence. Just a few weeks later, detectives were informed that the DNA was a match to a man in the system: Jesse James Lockley Jr. At 70 years old, Lockley was a registered sex offender with a record of violent crimes, including felonious assault. Police believe the killing was a crime of opportunity and that Lockley and Hall did not have a relationship.

On September 16, 2026, members of the Dayton Police Department’s Homicide and Cold Case Units, working with FBI agents, located Lockley and brought him in for questioning. During the interview, investigators said Lockley made incriminating statements that connected him to Arlene’s death. He was arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail. A grand jury subsequently indicted him on three counts of murder, and a judge set his bond at $1 million.

The arrest brought a sense of relief to the investigators who had worked on the case. "I know 23 years is a long time to live with not knowing who killed, you know, your daughter or mother, that kind of thing. And that's a heavy burden for any family,” said Lt. Eric Sheldon, commander of the department’s Violent Crimes Bureau. Dayton Police Chief Eric Henderson also commended the tireless work of law enforcement. "While an arrest cannot erase the pain of losing a loved one, we hope that this development can bring some closure to Ms. Hall's family," Henderson said. "I appreciate the hard work of everyone both within the Dayton Police Department and outside agencies who helped play a role in seeking justice for Ms. Hall."

As of late September 2026, Jesse James Lockley Jr. remains in custody awaiting his next court appearance. After 23 years of silence and uncertainty, the case of Arlene Hall’s murder is finally moving through the justice system, offering her family the first steps toward closure.