Officials: Man suspected in killing of Swedish exchange student in 1982 has long been dead
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities say a convicted felon who was a suspect in the kidnapping and killing of a Swedish exchange student who disappeared in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1982 has been long dead.
The Marin Independent Journal reports (http://bayareane.ws/1G6Rlk8 ) that a Social Security Administration spokeswoman says Henry Lee Coleman died Feb. 5, 1988. There was no record on where Coleman died or a cause of death.
The U.S. Department of Justice matched seven bones discovered in a Fremont canyon five years ago to Elisabeth Martinsson. She was living with a family in Marin and was out shopping with their borrowed car when she disappeared.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Martinsson's identity was released publicly last month.
Shortly after she disappeared, Coleman was arrested on auto theft while authorities investigated the Martinsson case as a potential homicide. Coleman eventually was convicted of auto theft and went to prison.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Information from: The Marin Independent Journal, http://www.marinij.com
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Information from: Contra Costa Times, http://www.contracostatimes.com