Retired Water Utility Worker Charged in Decades-Old Cold Case: Adam Lee Decker Apprehended After DNA Breakthrough.
OREGON CITY, OR – March 01, 2025 — Authorities have made a significant arrest in a cold case dating back over two decades, charging 47-year-old Adam Lee Decker with first-degree murder. According to a statement released by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Decker, a former water utility worker from Oregon City, was taken into custody on Thursday without incident.
The charges stem from the 1999 disappearance and death of 24-year-old Sarah Mitchell, whose remains were discovered in a remote forested area near the Clackamas River in 2001. Investigators stated that a recent re-examination of biological evidence using advanced forensic DNA technology produced a direct match to Decker’s genetic profile, which was entered into a law enforcement database following a 2023 misdemeanor arrest.
The suspect, who has no prior violent criminal record, was awaiting extradition to Clackamas County. The motive remains under investigation, though officials noted that Decker had worked for a local municipal water district near the recovery site at the time of the crime. The case is scheduled to proceed to a preliminary hearing later this month.