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DNA Evidence Leads to Arrest of Man Suspected in 1997 Child Rape in Martins Ferry

With the help of DNA evidence from the FBI, the man who allegedly kidnapped and raped a 5-year-old Martins Ferry girl in 1997 has finally been found.

Martins Ferry Police Chief John McFarland said Wednesday that Stephen L. Vargo Jr., 58, was arrested on rape and kidnapping charges and lodged in the Belmont County Jail. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment this morning in Belmont County Common Pleas Court. The rape occurred on Sept. 20, 1997. Martins Ferry police were dispatched to a Broadway Street residence, where they talked to the girl’s parents. The girl had been playing outside when a man came up to her, offered her something and, when she followed him, took her behind a house and raped her, the parents reported.

Officers took a statement from the girl, who then was taken to a hospital for treatment. DNA was collected from the crime scene, with one sample belonging to the victim and the other to the suspect, an unknown person, McFarland said. The evidence was taken to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation by then-Lt. Bernie Beltz.

Since then the case had been dormant, the chief said. But on June 28, 2016, police were notified there was a Combined DNA Index System hit in the case by the FBI.

“They had a match to the DNA that was found at the crime scene. Since that time we’ve had an officer working on this case. The CODIS hit at the time was a match for Stephen L. Vargo Jr.,” McFarland said. “Officers got a search warrant to get new DNA evidence off our suspect where he’s still serving a sentence on an unrelated sexual assault case at Allenwood Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania.

We obtained an additional DNA sample off of him and provided it to the FBI to make sure the match was accurate to what was found at our crime scene. And it did confirm that it did match.”

McFarland said the victim in the case, who now is in her 20s, has been notified of Vargo’s arrest. She still lives in the region, he noted.

“It’s sad. She was a little girl outside playing with her friends and to have this monster come and do this,” McFarland said.

He noted Vargo had lived in different locations in Martins Ferry at the time of the rape.

“I’m happy he will face the charges pending on him for what he did. I hope this brings some type of closure for the victim,” the chief said.

Vargo was not a registered sex offender at the time of the rape.

“If the law allows it, he should never be allowed to be a civilian again. A person like this needs to be locked up and die in prison,” McFarland said. “This man is a parent’s worst nightmare. … These are the cases we never forget about.”

McFarland said he was thankful for the FBI’s CODIS system. He also thanked his officers, including Sgt. Bob Walton, for their work, in addition to the county prosecutor, Dan Fry.

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