Party prep tale falls apart as husband charged in wife’s decades-old cold case murder

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A Maryland man is behind bars after authorities say he is responsible for his wife’s cold case murder over two decades ago.

Dwight “DJ” Rust Jr. was taken into custody Tuesday on charges stemming from the 2002 death of Michelle Rust, the Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement.

Dwight Rust initially told authorities Michelle Rust, 24, had left their home to get supplies in preparation for their 3-year-old son’s birthday party around 9:30 a.m. when she was last seen on July 20, 2002.

However, after speaking with several witnesses, investigators determined Michelle Rust never left her Halethorpe home prior to her disappearance.

KILLER ADMITS TO DECADES-OLD COLD CASE SLAYING AFTER INVESTIGATORS LEAN ON NEW FORENSIC EVIDENCE: OFFICIALS

Dwight DJ Rust Jr. standing in custody in Baltimore County Maryland

Her abandoned green 1998 Dodge Caravan was discovered with the key broken off in the driver’s side door later that day by her father-in-law near Zion Avenue and Clyde Avenue, but Michelle Rust was never found.

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Members of her family insisted she “was a dedicated mother and daughter” and “would not have disappeared on her own,” leading investigators to determine she was a victim of foul play, police said.

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Michelle Rust's abandoned green 1998 Dodge Caravan

The case ran cold for 24 years, until authorities announced Dwight Rust had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Baltimore County on Tuesday.

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Authorities did not provide additional details regarding what led them to Dwight Rust.

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He was subsequently booked into the Baltimore County Detention Center, where he is being held without bail.

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The Baltimore County Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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