Man accused of murdering girlfriend in Oregon more than 40 years ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After reopening a 1983 cold case last year involving the disappearance of a 27-year-old woman, Oregon officials say that the woman was murdered and an arrest has been made.

With assistance from the Chico Police Department in California, 72-year-old Mark Sanfratello was arrested on June 28. He is being charged with the murder of Teresa Peroni and will be extradited back to Oregon, according to the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was reopened in Feb. 2024.

Officials say that on or around July 4, 1983, Peroni was last seen with Sanfratello walking into a wooded area while attending a party in the 1000 block of Illinois River Road in Josephine County — Sanfratello and Peroni were known to be in a relationship.

“After a short time, the family of Peroni reported her missing and an investigation took place. During this initial investigation, the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office found the disappearance to be suspicious in nature. However, after the investigation with the Josephine County District Attorney’s Office, it was determined that there was not enough probable cause to move forward with criminal prosecution,” the sheriff’s office said.

In 1997, a human skull was found on a nearby property. The skull was sent to the University of North Texas for examination and DNA testing.

When the case was reopened in 2024, deputies say they were able to collect additional DNA evidence — which allowed UNT to confirm that the skull belonged to Peroni.

After interviewing multiple people involved with Peroni, and reviewing DNA results and the original case, Sanfratello was indicted by a grand jury in Josephine County on a murder charge on June 27. He was arrested the next day.