Arrest Made in Long-Unsolved Rhode Island Murder After Breakthrough GPS Evidence

Warwick, RI — Authorities recently arrested a 64-year-old man implicated in a cold case involving the abduction and murder of a Rhode Island woman two years prior. Mark Perkins was taken into custody this Wednesday in connection with the 2022 killing of 44-year-old Charlotte Lester, whose skeletal remains were discovered on a remote property last week.

Lester was reported missing by her landlord on May 16, 2022. Early investigations pointed to Perkins, who had a tumultuous romantic relationship with Lester. His arrest followed a crucial lead obtained from GPS data recorded by his vehicle, connecting him to the discovery site of Lester’s remains on four separate occasions.

Events leading up to Lester’s assassination began unraveling when a witness reported seeing Perkins at a convenience store with observable blood stains and apparent physical injuries, including scratches and bite marks. The witness recounted Perkins describing a violent altercation, referring to his house as “a blood bath” and even suggested he might have killed Lester.

Further exacerbating suspicions, surveillance footage from May 18 depicted Perkins departing his residence in his truck, carrying an unidentified object in the vehicle bed, which was gone upon his return three hours later. Two days following this sighting, police interrogated Perkins, noting his calm demeanor despite the ongoing search for Lester. Denying any knowledge of Lester’s whereabouts, Perkins claimed she had ceased communication with him.

A breakthrough in the case followed a warranted search of Perkins’s home, where police discovered blood spatter across several rooms and a blood-stained shirt in the basement, hanging over bleach. DNA testing later confirmed that the blood belonged to both Lester and Perkins.

Perkins faced initial charges in August 2022 after a separate incident where he threatened a local radio host who had publicly addressed Lester’s disappearance. Despite the previous arrest, it wasn’t until this week that evidence from Lester’s remains and the GPS data led to his arrest on first-degree murder charges.

Perkins has not yet entered a plea and is currently held without bail. As the community reels from the horrifying details of this case, investigators continue to piece together the sequence of events that led to such a tragic outcome. Residents and local authorities hope that the progression in the investigation will provide some closure to the victim’s family and friends. This arrest not only marks a significant development in the case but also underscores the pivotal role of technology in solving crimes that might have otherwise remained shrouded in mystery.