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A veteran homicide cop fought back tears Friday as he described finally cracking one of Windsor’s oldest and most horrific cold cases — the kidnapping, sexual assault, savage beating and murder of six-year-old Ljubica Topic.

The terrible mystery, which stood out for its shocking barbarity, had baffled a succession of frustrated investigators over five decades.

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“This case has been part of the fabric of this city for close to 50 years,” said lead investigator Det. Scott Chapman, who repeatedly fought to keep his emotions in check during a media conference.

“I’ve talked to people who remember the effects it had on them, even if they were children. After it happened they weren’t allowed out of the house.

“It had a tremendous impact. Parents were concerned — is this person still out there? And for 48 and a half years, we didn’t know. But now we do. We know exactly who it was.”

Ljubica Topic was snatched in May 1971 as she played outside her Drouillard Road home. Police discovered her lifeless remains — face and body covered in blood — early the next morning.