Law enforcement officials on Wednesday said a Tennessee man has been arrested in connection with the murder and disappearance of a woman who vanished 15 years ago from Northern California.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said Lynda Haynie was reported missing in July 2010 by several acquaintances. Despite an investigation by its missing persons bureau, the sheriff’s office said Haynie, who was 39 at the time, was never found, and the case went cold.
Photo of Lynda Haynie
California Department of Justice
The investigation picked back up again earlier this year, when, in January 2025, detectives obtained new information that shifted the missing persons case into a homicide investigation. Detectives identified Jonathan Simpson, who was living in Maryville, Tennessee, as one of the people involved in Haynie’s disappearance, officials said.
Working with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento detectives served a search warrant at Simpson’s home and later secured an arrest warrant for murder and criminal conspiracy.
On November 12, 2025, Simpson, 62, was taken into custody at his residence in Tennessee without incident, officials said. He has since been extradited to California and is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail, ineligible for bail.
Mugshot of Jonathan Simpson
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
Simpson is next scheduled to appear in court on December 30.
Investigators say they are still working to identify additional suspects connected to Haynie’s disappearance. Her body remains missing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers.
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