A U.S. Navy veteran’s murder has finally been solved nearly 40 years after his body was found in a cemetery in Arizona. Orison James "Jim" Chafin, 54, was discovered dead on August 8, 1987, in Glendale, a city just outside of Phoenix. He had served in the Navy during the Korean War and lived alone in a trailer park in the area. His body was found on the ground with his throat cut, and he was wearing only socks. Witnesses who spotted the body said they saw a sedan stopped in the cemetery with its headlights on, but it drove away when they approached. At the time, detectives collected DNA evidence from the scene, including samples from beer bottles and cigarette butts. However, none of the three male DNA profiles matched any known individuals until recently. In 2025, the cold case was reopened, leading investigators to Gary Wayne Billups, a man who had never been interviewed during the original investigation. When police contacted Billups in March 2025, he initially refused to meet with them. However, he was later located in the Phoenix metropolitan area and voluntarily participated in an interview in June. During the interview, Billups denied knowing Chafin or living in Glendale in 1987, despite arrest records that placed him in the city that year. Investigators had also previously discovered that Chafin, Billups, and two others had spent time at a bar in Glendale the afternoon before Chafin’s death. Billups provided a DNA sample, which matched the DNA found at the murder scene. Tragically, Billups died by suicide several days after the interview, so no criminal charges could be filed, even though the case is now considered solved. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement that Chafin’s murder had gone unsolved for over 39 years. He praised the work of Glendale detectives for preserving evidence in 1987 and the persistence of investigators who refused to let the case remain unsolved. Mayes emphasized that no victim in Arizona should be forgotten, no matter how long it takes to find answers.