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Cynthia Baver was found dead from multiple stab wounds in her North 10th Street home on April 8, 2001, officials said at a press conference Friday morning.
The 46-year-old also had a cord tied around her neck, authorities said.
Inside and outside the home, investigators collected forensic evidence. Blood stains were found on the floors, walls, and even in a breezeway separating Baver's home from her neighbor's, said officials.
Testing revealed that not all of the blood was Baver's, but the case remained cold for 20 years, authorities said.
In 2021, detectives using forensic genealogy found that some of the sampled blood belonged to a person with African ancestry and familial ties to Suffolk, Virginia.
Eventually, investigators spoke with 62-year-old Reading resident Timothy Bernard, who told them he lived next to Baver when she died and that his hometown was Suffolk.
A DNA sample later confirmed that the blood from the murder scene was Bernard's, according to officials.
He is charged with first- and third-degree murder, burglary, and related counts, authorities said. Court records show Bernard's bail was denied due to the nature of the charges.
He is set to appear before Magisterial District Judge Alvin B. Robinson for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 15.
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