For more than 30 years, the question of who killed 14-year-old Tanya Marie Frazier has haunted her family and investigators. Now, decades later, police say they’ve finally found the man they believe is responsible for her death.

On Wednesday, Seattle police announced the arrest of 57-year-old Mark Anthony Russ in connection with Tanya’s 1994 murder.

“For more than 30 years, Tania’s family wanted nothing more than answers, closure, and justice,” SPD Chief Shon Barnes said during the press conference on Wednesday.

Tanya disappeared on July 18, 1994, after leaving her summer school class at Meany Middle School. Her body was discovered hours later by a man walking his dog just blocks away, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. She had been strangled.

After years of no new leads or tips, the case went cold – until advancements in forensic technology changed everything.

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According to police, detectives matched DNA collected from the original crime scene to Russ, who had recently been released from prison, using a modern inmate database.

“We have a suspect under arrest who will be charged, and most of these questions as far as the case details, need to be answered at a later time at a different location and that’s going to be the King County Courthouse,” SPD Det. Rolf Norton explained.

Investigators informed Tanya’s family of the arrest Tuesday night, a moment that brought both relief and renewed grief. Tanya’s sister, Teara Frazier, told KING5 it was a phone call she’d been waiting more than 30 years to get.

“I feel this moment is so surreal. I was hopeful, but I don’t know that I ever thought we’d get answers. It’s shocking,” Frazier said. “I have so many questions. I don’t even know the day she died. Like, why? Why would you do that? Why would you pick up a child? I want to know what happened.”

Multiple detectives have carried Tanya’s file, refusing to let her name fade. Cloyde Steiger was new to the homicide unit when he stood on that crime scene in 1994, before the days of digital forensics or CSI teams.

“I started working with other detectives, tracking down leads on this case,” Steiger told KOMO News. “The key is it has to be collected properly and stored properly for 31 years that you can go back and do more tests, and forensic science just caught up with this guy, like it does a lot of people.”

Russ, who waived his first court appearance on Wednesday, has a long criminal record.

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“He has a series of convictions from 1996 for attempted rape in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, and robbery in the first degree,” the prosecutor said in court.

Records show Russ was re-sentenced in 2021 and released under supervision, which ended in 2023.

“Multiple generations of investigators and scientists have worked on this case for over three decades,” Det. Norton said. “Today is not a day for celebration; it’s a day to reflect on Tanya Frazier and her surviving family as they continue to grieve for their daughter, sister, and aunt. Our thoughts go out to them.”

A judge has now found probable cause to charge him with first-degree murder and ordered he be held without bail.

But questions still remain about motive, opportunity, and whether Tanya’s death was random or targeted. But for the first time in more than three decades, her family may be one step closer to knowing the truth.

“I definitely want to come face to face with him,” Tanya’s sister said. “I hope I don’t cry… I’m hoping for closure. I want answers that can help me heal from that.”

Russ is currently in King County Jail on investigation for homicide. He is expected back in court on Thursday.