The recent arrest of a suspect nearly 17 years after a local murder took place shows that justice delayed isn’t necessarily justice denied.

On Friday, Bowling Green police arrested Edward David Donaldson, 41, of Mammoth Cave and charged him with the Nov. 28, 1992, murder of Susan Dumore, who was found dead by her children at her Bryant Way apartment.

This arrest had to be a relief for Dumore’s family members and should offer hope to other families in Bowling Green who still are wondering if justice will ever prevail in cases involving their loved ones.

A number of people were questioned in the days following Dumore’s death, but police lacked the evidence to positively identify a suspect at the time.

Thankfully, through interviews of witnesses and the use of new technologies to re-evaluate evidence, police say they were able to tie Donaldson to the killing.

This is a real breakthrough. Many murders never get solved and families are left to grieve with the frustration of not knowing who was responsible for the death of a loved one.

A lot of work went into this arrest and the people who worked this case deserve a lot of credit.

One of those people is former Police Chief Gary Raymer, who in 2000 requested that investigators re-examine the case.

Police officers should be commended as well for their hard work and determination in bringing about an arrest.

One cold case that comes to mind is that of Carol Neal, who disappeared from her Bowling Green home Nov. 9, 1998. Part of her skull was found in McCreary County by two hikers April 16, 2003.

No one has been charged in this case and we hope law enforcement officials can put their hard work and new technologies to work to help make an arrest.

There are other unsolved murder cases in Bowling Green. This arrest offers hope that they will be solved as well.

Officer Barry Pruitt, spokesman for the BGPD, said, “We’re glad that we can finally bring some closure to the victim’s families and friends.”

Pruitt also said there will be other cases that the department will solve through old-fashioned police work and technology.

We believe that is correct and wish the department success in bringing justice to more of these cold cases.