Unraveling a Cold Case: The Arrest in the 40-Year-Old Murder of John Warren
In Warren County, Ohio, new information has emerged regarding an arrest made in a 40-year-old cold case murder. John Warren was discovered deceased in his hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Middletown on October 16, 1985. Warren, a traveling salesman for an auto parts company, was in town for sales meetings. The Holiday Inn where the incident occurred has since been demolished.
Following the discovery of Warren's body, some of his belongings were found in Dalton, Georgia, behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant, while his vehicle was located in Readington Beach, Florida. Despite pursuing various leads, authorities lacked sufficient evidence to make an arrest at the time, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.
In 2019, detectives from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office reopened the investigation and submitted recovered items from the crime scenes for analysis. This renewed effort eventually led them to Randy McAllister, now 62 years old and residing in Columbus, along with a deceased accomplice. Subsequent investigations in 2021, conducted in collaboration with the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, culminated in McAllister being indicted and charged with aggravated murder and murder.
Randy McAllister is set to face the charges in a Warren County courtroom on Tuesday, following the grand jury's decision in June. The ongoing efforts of law enforcement and prosecutors have shed new light on this long-standing cold case, bringing a sense of closure to the decades-old mystery.