INVESTIGATIVE CASE DOSSIER: THE 1980 MURDER OF SUZANNE BOMBARDIER: HOW DNA SOLVED ANTIOCH’S OLDEST COLD CASE AFTER 37 YEARS
- Victim: Suzanne Bombardier (Age 14; Junior High Student & Babysitter)
- Date of Abduction: June 22, 1980 (Babysitting her nieces in Antioch, CA)
- Discovery Location: San Joaquin River near Antioch Bridge, Contra Costa County, CA
- Perpetrator: Mitchell Lynn Bacom (Born 1954; Convicted Sex Offender)
- Cause of Death: Single stab wound to the heart following sexual assault
- Breakthrough Method: CODIS STR DNA match from preserved biological evidence (San Mateo Crime Lab)
- Date of Arrest: December 11, 2017 (Hercules, California)
- Sentence: Life in prison without the possibility of parole (Convicted March 2022)
On June 22, 1980, 14-year-old Suzanne Bombardier vanished while babysitting her nieces at her sister’s townhouse in Antioch, California. Five days later, a fisherman spotted her body floating in the San Joaquin River. For nearly four decades, the homicide stood as Antioch’s oldest and most haunting cold case. In 2017, advanced STR DNA technology screened biological evidence preserved in freezers, linking the crime to a known acquaintance and registered sex offender: 63-year-old Mitchell Lynn Bacom.
The 1980 Vanishing in Antioch
Fourteen-year-old Suzanne Bombardier was babysitting at her sister Stephanie’s apartment on Hudson Court on June 22, 1980. When Stephanie returned from work around 4:00 AM, Suzanne was missing, although the front door was locked and the young children were asleep in their cribs.
On June 27, 1980, Suzanne’s body was recovered from the San Joaquin River east of the Antioch Bridge. She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed once through the heart. Pathologists collected biological fluid, which was sealed in cold storage.
The 37-Year Cold Case Campaign
Over the decades, Antioch detectives and cold case researcher Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons worked tirelessly to keep Suzanne’s memory alive. In early 2017, Antioch Police Captain Tammany Brooks sent the preserved 1980 evidence to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Forensic Laboratory for advanced STR testing.
Criminalists developed a clean male DNA profile and uploaded it to CODIS. In September 2017, CODIS returned a direct offender hit: Mitchell Lynn Bacom, a longtime Contra Costa resident who had known Suzanne’s family in 1980 and had prior convictions for kidnapping, rape, and burglary.
Arrest and Trial Conviction
On December 11, 2017, Antioch Police arrested Bacom at his home in Hercules, California. In March 2022, after a multi-week jury trial in Contra Costa County Superior Court, Bacom was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances of kidnapping and oral copulation.
Judge John Cope sentenced Bacom to life in prison without parole, delivering final justice to the Bombardier family after 42 years.
Case Timeline & Key Forensic Milestones
| Date / Year | Milestone / Event | Forensic Significance |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 1980 | Suzanne Bombardier abducted while babysitting in Antioch, CA | Body found 5 days later in San Joaquin River |
| 2017 | San Mateo Forensic Lab develops STR DNA profile | CODIS match identifies Mitchell Lynn Bacom |
| Dec 11, 2017 | Bacom arrested in Hercules, CA | Charged with special-circumstances murder |
| March 2022 | Bacom convicted of first-degree murder | Sentenced to life in prison without parole |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who was convicted of murdering Suzanne Bombardier?
Mitchell Lynn Bacom, a convicted sex offender who knew Suzanne’s family, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2022.
How was the Suzanne Bombardier case solved after 37 years?
Antioch Police submitted preserved 1980 autopsy swabs to the San Mateo Crime Lab, which generated an STR DNA profile that matched Bacom in CODIS.
What sentence did Mitchell Bacom receive?
Bacom was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in Contra Costa Superior Court.
