A human skull found in a field has finally unraveled a 42-year-old mystery regarding a woman who vanished in the Oregon forest after going there with her boyfriend in 1983.
Police in California arrested Mark Sanfratello, 72, on Saturday, charging him with murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend, Teresa Peroni.
On July 3, 1983, Peroni, then 27, attended a party in Selma with her boyfriend, who was 29 at the time, according to law enforcement.
The couple’s relationship was troubled. Following the party, they got into an argument after Sanfratello accused Peroni of cheating, leading them into a nearby forest.
“Teresa was known to have been in a relationship with Mark Sanfratello,” stated the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. Peroni was last seen as they ventured into the woods.
When she didn’t return, her family reported her missing, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
Initially, the investigation turned cold, as there were no signs of Peroni. According to the Sheriff’s Office, they found her disappearance concerning, but lacked enough evidence for a criminal case at that time.
The first significant lead came in 1997 when a landowner reported finding a human skull in the area where Peroni was last seen. Police brought in a corpse dog to search for additional remains, but none were discovered. The skull was sent to a forensic lab at North Texas University for DNA analysis.
Last year, seventeen years after that discovery, law enforcement revisited the Peroni case. They sought individuals still alive who could provide information related to the original investigation from the 1980s.
After gathering more DNA samples for testing, the results confirmed that the skull found in 1997 belonged to Peroni.
On June 27, 2025, findings revealed connections with multiple individuals tied to the original investigation, leading to Sanfratello being charged with murder, as announced by the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office.
The following day, Chico police arrested Sanfratello, who is currently being questioned regarding Peroni’s disappearance and his alleged involvement in her murder. He remains in custody in California, awaiting extradition to Oregon for trial.
