Bond set at $1 million for man accused of 1983 murder

Andrew Gustafson leaves Lucas County Common Pleas Court following his arraignment early today.

The Blade/Dave Zapotosky
Buy This Image

Andrew Gustafson leaves Lucas County Common Pleas Court following his arraignment early today.

Bond was set today at $1 million for a former Swanton Township man charged in the 1983 death of a Whitehouse woman.

Andrew Gustafson, 56, of Birch Run, Mich., appeared before Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gary Cook to two counts of aggravated murder and one count of murder in the death of Janean Brown, 19, whose body was found buried in a ditch near his home Nov. 19, 1983. Her throat had been cut.

Mr. Gustafson was arrested at his workplace in Saginaw on Thursday. Defense attorney Pete Rost asked for a “reasonable bond” pointing out that the defendant has had no contact with a criminal court in the last 30 years.

Investigators said the county’s cold case unit reopened the investigation into Ms. Brown’s death in May, 2011, and brought the charges based in part on DNA evidence that wasn’t available at the time of the homicide.