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The Charles County Sheriff's Office announced on Thursday, July 13 that an arrest has been made in the death of Belk, who was found in Bryans Road on Metropolitan Church Road after she was killed 44 years ago.
Washington, DC resident Andre Taylor, now 62, is facing charges that include rape and murder for his alleged role in Belk's disappearance and death decades ago.
In August 1979, Belk was reported missing to the Prince George's County Police Department by her current boyfriend after they left each other at the Department of Agriculture where they both worked at the time.
She never returned to her apartment in Suitland.
The day after her disappearance, a local teenager was riding his bike when he noticed a body on the ground, later determined to be Belk, in a wooded area not far from the intersection of Metropolitan Church Road and Route 227.
Belk had been shot to death and her body dumped.
The case went cold for years, though detectives - several of whom have since retired from the sheriff's office - continued to work the case, using new technology to keep the investigation going while developing new information and leads.
Late last year, members of the Charles County Sheriff's Office Forensic Science Section was tipped off to a new DNA match that tied Belk to Taylor, and the investigation heated up.
According to investigators, detectives later learned that Taylor was linked to an address in Bryans Road that was less than four miles where Belk's body was found, though he managed to elude officers for years.
He was eventually tracked down in Washington, DC.
Taylor was arrested late last month and later transported back to Maryland to face his charges. He's now being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.
"This case occurred more than four decades ago and yet the detectives and forensics personnel never gave up" Charles County Sheriff Troy Berry said.
"They continuously looked for ways to identify a suspect. This arrest serves as a reminder of our commitment to doing everything we can to solve crimes. We never give up. We never stop seeking justice for victims."
At the time of her murder, Belk was 28 and Taylor was an 18-year-old. There are no known connection between the two, even 44 years later. She left behind a 7-year-old son, five siblings, and her parents, who died before they got to see Taylor apprehended.
"Nearly 44 years ago, our family lost Vickie Lynn Belk, a beloved mother, sister and friend to a tragic and heinous crime," sister Kay Belk said. "The news of the grand jury returning an indictment for the individual responsible for Vickie’s death and an arrest in her murder begins the long-awaited process of justice finally being served.
"We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the forensics personnel who never ceased seeking justice on Vickie’s behalf."
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