By gum! Man arrested for 1976 cold case murder thanks to DNA evidence collected by cops in phony CHEWING GUM survey

Gary Raub, 63, was arrested yesterday in Seattle in the brutal slaying of Blanche Kimball 36 years ago

70-year-old was stabbed almost 50 times in her home in Augusta, Maine



Police obtained the suspect's DNA in July after he agreed to participate in a fake chewing gum survey

Saliva matched DNA from blood splatted on the woman's kitchen cupboard

A man suspected of stabbing a 70-year-old woman to death in 1976 has been arrested after detectives tricked him into taking part in a fake 'chewing gum survey' to get his DNA.

Gary Raub, 63, was arrested yesterday in Seattle in connection with the brutal slaying of Blanche Kimball, whose mutilated body was found inside her Augusta, Maine, home 36 years ago.



Detectives with the Maine State Police and the Augusta Police Department flew interstate to nab the man, who was known as Gary Wilson in 1976, with help from Seattle police.

In custody: Gary Raub, pictured right, has been arrested on Monday for the 1976 stabbing death of a 70-year-old woman after DNA obtained from chewing gum, right, linked him to the crime

Mr Raub is listed as a transient on the Kennebec County Superior Court complaint charged with murder and criminal homicide in the first degree.

The complaint accuses him of 'knowingly inflicted great physical suffering' on Ms Kimball, a retired dental technician and practical nurse who occasionally rented out rooms in her house.

According to The Kennebec Journal , an autopsy on Ms Kimball counted '23 stab wounds to the chest, two stab wounds to the abdomen, 16 cuts and lacerations to the head, and three cuts and abrasions to the hands.'



Mr Raub, one of the woman's tenants, was interviewed twice by detectives after her killing but denied any involvement in the horrific attack, police said.



Crime scene: Victim Blanche Kimball was stabbed almost 50 times in her home in Augusta, Maine, which is now a parking lot, pictured

Interest in the cold case was rekindled earlier this year when blood splattered on Ms Kimball's kitchen drawer underwent DNA testing and proved to be from a man.

'It appeared that the person who had stabbed Blanche Kimball may have sustained injuries that caused him or her to bleed, leaving possible suspect blood on various items in the living room and kitchen,' Maine State Police Detective Abbe Chabot said in an affidavit.



Mr Raub's saliva was matched to the DNA from the blood sample, after an undercover Seattle police officer managed to get the suspect to participate in a 'chewing gum survey' in July.

Mr Raub was taken to the King County Jail yesterday afternoon and was denied bail. He is expected to appear in court tomorrow, where the process of extraditing him back to Maine will begin.



Behind bars: Mr Raub is being held at King County Jail in Seattle, pictured

Ms Kimball was last seen painting her steps on Memorial Day in 1976, police said.



When her body was found on June 12, it was decomposing and her clothing was pulled up, exposing her pubic area, according to Mr Chabot's affidavit.

Neighbours called police fearing for Ms Kimball's safety after she hadn't been seen for several days. Officers found the woman's home scattered with broken glass and debris.

Police suspected him in the murder in part because he had been caught trying to break into a home near Ms Kimball's residence shortly after her death.

