An Oneida, New York man has been taken into custody to be extradited to Germany for the rape and murder of a woman nearly 45 years ago, after advancements in DNA forensics linked him to the crime in a 1-in-270 quadrillion match, according to court documents.

In a document filed on Feb. 13, 2024 with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Steven C. Green requested James Patrick Dempsey, 66, of Oneida be detained until the conclusion of the extradition process, as he faces prosecution for aggravated murder in Germany.

Court documents show that between June 8, 1978 and June 11, 1978, 35-year-old Bärbel Gansau was murdered inside her apartment in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

During the investigation into Gansau’s death, detectives learned she would leave her bathroom window open so her cats could come and go freely. The window was about 39 inches from the ground and was visible from a nearby sidewalk.

After being discharged from the Army in 1978, court documents say, Dempsey continued to have problems with alcohol, including a DUI charge in 1979.

The FBI conducted a trash pull at Dempsey’s house in the U.S. on April 14, 2021, to assist with the German investigation. The evidence obtained was provided to German investigators, who used DNA trace analysis on several skin and sperm samples obtained from the crime scene in 1978. One of the pieces of evidence focused on was semen found on the bedsheet between Gansau’s legs.

In 2022, the DNA from the crime scene was compared to DNA found during the trash pull from Dempsey’s house, and there was a match.

The likelihood of a match, according to investigators, was 1-in-270 quadrillion.

On June 24, 2022, Judge Berger of the Stuttgart Lower Court in Germany issued a warrant for Dempsey’s arrest, then on Feb. 9, 2024, U.S. Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric issued an arrest warrant.

He was ultimately arrested on Feb. 13, 2024, and taken into custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.