DAYTON — Members of the Dayton Police Department and the FBI arrested Jesse James Lockley Jr. yesterday in connection with the 2003 killing of Arlene Hall.
Lockley was booked into the Montgomery County Jail after making incriminating statements to detectives during an interview, and murder charges have been approved against him.
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Hall was last seen alive on March 19, 2003, and was reported missing by her son on April 3, 2003.
Detectives discovered her body on April 21, 2003, in the basement of a property at 2027 Germantown Street in Dayton.
Authorities determined her cause of death was homicide by strangulation.
Investigators followed several leads at the time, but no solid suspects were identified, and the case went cold.
The cold case received renewed attention in December 2025 when investigators reviewed the case file and submitted physical evidence for DNA testing.
On July 10, 2026, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation crime laboratory notified the Dayton Police Department that DNA belonging to an unknown male was discovered on Hall’s clothing.
In late July 2026, the state crime lab informed detectives that the DNA evidence matched Lockley.
Members of the department’s Homicide and Cold Case Units, working alongside FBI agents, located Lockley yesterday and brought him to the safety building for questioning.
Dayton Police Department Chief Eric Henderson commended the law enforcement personnel involved in resolving the cold case and expressed hope for the victim's family.
“This case is another example of the great work by the men and women in our Homicide and Cold Case Units, as well as their commitment to the never-ending pursuit of justice,” Henderson said. “While an arrest cannot erase the pain of losing a loved one, we hope that this development can bring some closure to Ms. Hall's family. I appreciate the hard work of everyone both within the Dayton Police Department and outside agencies who helped play a role in seeking justice for Ms. Hall.”
Lockley is booked in the Montgomery County Jail.